Better in time
by Lindsi loolabell
Summary: AH, Edward and Bella hate each other and taunt one another like crazy but will she be able to resist him and manage not to fall for him a second time...future lemons. No infringement intended. and I'm still crap at summeries
1. Prologue

**Better in time**

**Prologue.**

**Edward's POV**

My feet pounded a sea of linoleum and my thighs burned like a bitch, but I couldn't slow my pace or I'd be too late. She'd be gone and I couldn't even consider that option. I had to get to her before she got on that stupid plane.

I'm such a dick!

I should have just manned up and told her that I loved her when I had the chance. Now I was probably going to be too fucking late.

No!

I couldn't give up.

If I had to go to the ends of the earth to tell her, then I would.

My body carried on, propelling itself through the crowds of people making their way home to their loved ones for the holidays.

"Hey! Schmuck! Watch where you're fucking going!" Some guy yelled in a thick accent.

"Sorry!" I shouted back over my shoulder, not actually looking at the now disgruntled passenger behind me.

He was right though. I was a schmuck.

I was in love with Isabella Swan...My sister's best friend, but was too blind to see it until it was too late

Almost too late.

I don't know what I was going to say when I saw her but I knew I had to try and stop her.

As I was here running through Seattle Tacoma international airport, she would already be stood waiting to board a metal bird back to Phoenix at the gate. Leaving me behind so she could try and live-survive had been her exact word.

She'd bared her soul and told me, said she was in love with me and I just stood there like an idiot.

I glanced at the gigantic clock over the departure board.

6:27pm

The flickering screen below also let me know I had no room for lateness.

I had three minutes.

I could still make it...

I had to.

I think I've always been in love with her. I was just too pig headed to see it.

Ever since back in high school, my eye's only ever seemed to be attracted to her. We'd been friends for years and seen each other through our awkward stages. Yet she always remained beautiful in my eyes; growing more beautiful with the passing days.

I had the chance back then to have made her mine and I did. I mean for fuck sakes we lost our virginity to one another. And that right there was my down fall. If I'd just kept my stupid mouth shut then everything wouldn't have gotten messed up as bad as it had.

Two minutes.

My legs were starting to feel like jello.

My heart was pounding so hard I feared it would jump out of my chest. Maybe it was trying to get to her before I did. So she could take it with her.

I knew my time was running out, but I couldn't give up yet.

One minute left.

I rounded the last corner before the gate and crashed into a long line of luggage carts being pushed by some punk'y looking, pimple faced kid. My momentum took me clean over then into a heap on the floor and I shook my head as I gathered myself back together. The little fucking prick flipped me off for disrupting his nice, neat line of carriages.

"Fucking bite me phlegm wad!" I glared at him as I straightened myself up before taking flight again towards the woman by the gate.

"Hey! Hey! Wait up!" I shouted as she closed the doors to her side.

"I'm sorry sir the plane is already boarded and ready to go." She gestured with her hand to ask me to move back.

Fuck that shit right up.

"Wait! I have to get on that plane," I protested

"Well then maybe you should have tried to make it here on time. I'm sure if you go back to the customer service kiosk and tell them you missed your flight then they'll rebook you for the next one." She smiled and grimaced at the same time and I knew the bitch was just trying to be pretentious.

"Look lady!" My patience had completely fucked off with the kid with the dot to dot face and she was pissing me off by the second, "I don't want to go to Phoenix! I had to buy a fucking ticket to get them to let me through here, I have to get on that flight! I have to tell someone right now that I love her...I..." My voice cut off weakly as I caught sight of the plane being pushed back onto the tarmac, ready to taxi to the run way.

My heart fell silent and my knees gave way from under me.

I felt empty-cold-dead.

"I love you too, Bella," My voice broke in less than a whisper as my head fell to touch the glass wall in front of me. Like I really needed a panoramic view of the love of my life leaving me here, alone.

I stayed there, dejected and broken as I watched it pick up speed then shoot off into the clouds.

She was gone. I was too late.

But I wouldn't give up. I know what I wanted.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Bella's POV**

I loved my life.

I was twenty three, had the perfect job, my own place, a family that loved me unconditionally and a best friend that had always been more like my sister, whom I loved dearly.

The only thing missing was a man, but in truth, I didn't _actually_ miss having one of those in my life.

I was happy on my own.

I didn't have to worry about pleasing someone else, just myself. And that's the way it had been since I finished High school.

I tried not to get involved with guys. I'd had my heart broken once and I could still feel it trying to heal. Even after five long years.

Don't get me wrong. I'd been out with my share of men; gone through the motions with minimal emotions.

I was after all a woman and had needs like everyone else. But I never got attached. I tried to stay cold. Had my good time then we'd go our separate ways. My life didn't need the complication of love. That would ruin the cozy little world I'd built for myself.

I'd been taken for a fool once, a long time ago.

I had thought he was different.

We'd been friends a year or so after I moved permanently back to Forks, Washington.

It seemed like the most natural thing in the world to be with him, for our friendship to turn into something else. I loved him with everything I had.

He was the sweetest, most caring person I'd ever known, next to my father, Charlie.

Then one day he changed. He changed after I gave everything of myself that I had to give.

So men were a utility to me after that and I always set down ground rules when I met someone. Letting them know that I was in no way interested in a relationship. I couldn't risk the security of my heart again after its last breach. I'm sure you can imagine that I hadn't met a man yet that had a problem with my rule.

It had worked for me too.

I didn't go around just sleeping with anyone though. I still had standards. And it wasn't all the time. It had been even less often over the past year, maybe three times, before Max. Max had been only four times since then.

I just knew when to cut loose; knew when to bring an end to the proceedings.

I was suddenly brought back out of my thoughts by a rather toned arm that had snaked its way around my waist to pull me closer. The only set of arms to hold me on more than a few occasions.

I sighed and turned my gaze to the dark haired guy by my side.

He was sweet and funny and pretty fit if I'm honest. He also had amazingly soulful eyes; but every time I looked into them, I longed to see a different soul; and I hated feeling that way, like he had a hold on me still after all this time. After all the hurt and the pain he caused me.

On the few times we'd bumped into each other, which was more often than I'd like and the only down side of being friends with Alice Cullen, I showed him about as much respect as he had shown me back in school. Acid speared from my tongue if I ever had to address him; my words laced with venom.

Max though, had been great. He'd understood my need to be a free spirit and we'd had fun. I didn't know what it was we had. It certainly wasn't anything remotely close to love- lust? A need to release frustration through each other. We'd been friends for a while and he knew how twisted and broken my heart was and accepted our strange friendship willingly. He too had had his heart stomped on by some life sucking, stuck up hoe that thought she was better than anyone else.

"Morning," he smiled, grinning from ear to ear as he stretched out on my bed.

"Hey," I couldn't bring myself to muster up anything else.

"You know...one of these days you're seriously going to wound my ego if you don't smile once in a while after I've put in so much effort to make you come."

If only he knew...

I never had to fake it with him but I never quite fully got there either. He never failed to make me come but the earth was always at a standstill, like something always held me back from letting go completely.

"You know you were talking about him again last night," he added when I didn't answer.

"Mmhmm," I was once again staring off at nothingness.

"Well I got to get out of here. I have to be at work soon and I still have to go home and feed her stupid cat that she still hasn't stopped by to claim." He stood up and grabbed his pants, pulling them on to cover his cute little and well defined ass. I definitely couldn't complain about the view from this angle.

"Call me if you need me to make you scream again," he smirked.

"Don't flatter your self...You're not _that_ good," I sniggered.

"Ouch, see you've done it now... wounded." He clutched his hand to his chest and chuckled before leaning down and kissing my cheek.

Once he was gone I got up and made my way to the bathroom to start my daily routine.

After a very soothing, lengthy shower and tooth brushing marathon I made my way to my closet. It was the weekend and I planned on spending it in a relaxed lazy manner. Wearing my comfortable clothes and doing whatever the fuck I liked. I pulled out a pair of black sweat pants and my favorite rust colored hoodie that I'd had since I was fifteen. I'd filled out a little more in the breasts department but it still fit. I pulled my hair back into a loose ponytail and felt around blindly under my bed until I found my elusive trainers.

As I made myself a strong black coffee, I noted the calendar on the refrigerator. The picture donning its page was filled with lit up trees and snow covered sidewalks.

December 3rd.

Christmas was just around the corner and I'd be making my usual trip home to phoenix to spend it with my mother and her new family. She remarried two years ago to a fucking baseball player, strictly minor league. The guy couldn't make it in the big leagues if he tried. He wasn't all that bad of a guy though and he made my mother happy. They had formed a wonderfully Brady bunch kind of unit with the two of them and his three kids, Karl, thirteen; Chrissie, sixteen and Joel who was about to turn eighteen. Joel shared the same enthusiasm for the coupling as I did. His reasoning was a bit different though. He hated his father because in his eyes, he replaced his dead mother with another woman. I couldn't blame the kid for holding a grudge.

I'd moved here to live with my father when they started dating because I couldn't take all the fucking cooing and 'sweetikin's and 'gooey bear' shit they used to flaunt.

Don't get me wrong I love my mother dearly and would do anything for her but I couldn't quite get used to the whole sibling thing. I'd been an only child for so much of my life and wanted to stay that way. Phil always tried to include me in everything and tried his damnedest to make me comfortable with the new arrangements but I hated it. I longed for the peace I'd been used to when it was just me and my scatter brained mom. I decided not long after, that maybe I'd give living my father a go and had stayed there all the way up to me leaving for college. Even after I had my degree, I'd migrated back towards the dreary little hamlet. I moved to Port Angeles not long after and had been there ever since.

My best friend had moved a few blocks over from me and we spent a large portion of our free time together.

I grabbed my jacket and pulled the door shut behind me.

I had a few errands to run today and I still had to buy a Christmas present for Charlie.

Alice had gone away for a week, skiing with her fiancé Jasper Hale. They'd asked me to go along but I graciously declined, reminding them that I was coordinately challenged, and that maybe skiing would be asking for just a tad too much trouble so close to the fat guy in a red suit visiting.

She'd agreed and asked instead if I'd be able to go over to her place and feed her baby while they were away and take him out for walks and shit.

Her baby was the cutest little Scottish highland terrier that went by the name of Humphrey and he got spoiled like a child.

I'd agreed.

"Hey , you all ready for Christmas?" Gary, Alice's door man asked as he held open the door to her building for me.

"Almost," I smiled back at him. He tipped his head as I walked through the door.

I made my way up to her apartment, jubilant in the fact that I was contented. Freshly fucked and high in the spirit of the season.

Yes my life was pretty much perfect.

I hadn't noticed at first as Humphrey came bounding over from the kitchen, tail wagging. I bent down and scooped him up.

"Hey there cutie," I cooed.

Then I noticed an arm hanging over the back of Alice's couch.

I froze in a panic.

A hundred thoughts crossed my mind but none prepared me for the reality of the situation.

I crept stealthily over towards the couch to get a better look, ready to set the mutt onto the possible intruder.

The arm was bare, along with the torso that the arm belonged to.

The heavenly body sprawled out and obviously unconscious was snoring rather loudly too.

His head was out of my sight, but not for long. I tripped over the cord for the phone, sending it crashing from the side table and causing enough of a ruckus to wake the sleeping beauty on the couch.

"What the fuck?"

His head shot up and over to where I was standing, now wearing a full musk of scarlet.

"Swan?"

My eyes narrowed at the asshole who was now sat rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

"Cullen!"


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Edward's POV**

"What the fuck"

I'd just been lost in my own reoccurring nightmare, only to wake up and find the lead fucking bitch of it to be stood a few feet away.

She had so much to fucking answer for.

"Cullen!" she spat.

It wasn't a greeting. It was impending death if looks could kill.

I rubbed my eyes and straightened myself up; only just realizing then that I had nothing but a pair of red boxer's on and was sporting a very fetching morning wood.

I hate her.

She'd singlehandedly humiliated me in front of our entire senior year at Forks High.

But I never failed to wake up in need of some serious release after my dreams with her staring in them.

Not that I should have expected any less of her after what I did, too.

I hadn't always felt like I wanted to throw her under a bus. I had very strong feelings for her once. We both had feelings for each other back then.

Then I stupidly went and threw it all down the shitter.

"Why are you here?" My nonchalant tone rose to the occasion and made me seem as cold as stone towards her.

She suddenly came over a little flustered then turned to storm off towards the kitchen.

"I'm here to feed Humphrey and take him out and make sure her plants don't die. I should be asking you the same fucking question." Her drab tone crowed from the kitchen.

I used her absence from the room to make a grab for my pants and shirt that were thrown on the stool of my piano in the far corner. Alice let me store it here because I didn't have enough room for the sleek, black baby grand in my place. Her only condition being that I had to come over and play for her once in a while. It worked for me.

I quickly dressed as I listened to the clanging of bowls and shit.

The mutt disappeared in there after her when it heard the tell tale signs of dinner time.

_Watch it dude, don't get lulled into a false sense of security with that one...She's a shrew. _I shook my head at the fact that I'd just given a mental note to a four legged mop.

"Well?" The impatience in her voice was impossible to miss.

I knew that she hated to be kept waiting.

My mind suddenly started to make another mental note of all the little things she used to do that drove me crazy, in a good way.

The way she tapped her foot impatiently, like I could hear her doing now.

The way she cried at Wuthering Heights, even though she'd read it more that the fucking Pope had read the Bible.

The way she bit her lip when she was nervous or exited by something and didn't want to admit to it.

How her eyes gave away her emotions. I remembered all too well the emotion in her eyes that day. Every tear that fell from them was like a dagger to my heart.

Shit I had to stop thinking about this crap. I didn't like her like that anymore. We were history a long time ago.

"Fine you know what? Don't bother. I'm not even interested," she called back out before walking back into the room carrying a little pink watering can.

I was just fastening up my white button down when she came in and my head shot up to look at her.

And there is was...The fucking hot little lip biting.

She quickly averted her eyes and walked over to the Ficus by my piano. I couldn't help but smirk at her. She'd always said she loved seeing me in white shirts, but preferred them when they were on her bedroom floor, or mine.

I watched her carefully as she trailed around the room; tipping water into the parched soil of Alice's little indoor rain forest.

When she rounded the room and came back up on the other side of the piano to her last victim of dehydration, her eyes fell on the small piece of black lace strewn over the ivory keys.

_Oh fuck!_

"Oh...that's what you were _doing._" Again she quickly turned away but not quick enough.

And there was that fucking heart breaking emotion in her eyes.

Fuck it. I don't have to answer to her.

She took the watering can back into the kitchen and slammed the door to the cupboard.

Bella's POV

Why the fuck was this bothering me so much? I didn't care who he fucked. It was of no consequence to me. I could care less if he screwed a whole cheerleading squad. He was nothing to me now.

I felt the treacherous pangs in my heart but quickly dismissed them.

It's not like I didn't expect him to ever get laid again. I was... well, had been just last night, as well.

"Alice asked me to house sit while they're away. I don't actually get why she asked you to see to the fur ball, I could do it," he grimaced as he gesture towards his sister's beloved canine friend.

"Yeah, you killed her goldfish when you offered to look after a pet last time," I chuckled as I thought back to the morning I went over to their house to find her dressed from head to toe in black, sobbing over the now fishless bowl while Edward fell around laughing at her. She'd gone away to their grandparent's house for a few weeks over the summer when we were thirteen; I'd been friends with her before my life in Forks became permanent. I used to spend every summer there. Edward had been left in charge of feeding it and keeping its water clean. He forgot and Alice returned home to find the little orange fish floating on its side. "You honestly think she'd leave you responsible for Humphrey after that?" I taunted.

"It was a fucking fish!" he growled.

I couldn't stifle my laughter at the memory any longer, much to his annoyance.

"Whatever." He turned and dropped back onto the couch and flicked the button on the remote for the TV.

I grabbed the dog's leash and attached it to his black diamante collar and led him away through the door.

As I walked him around the park at the corner of her street I couldn't help but think about him sleeping like a baby. His well defined back...The sight of him in that shirt only partially buttoned, and his hair all awry...

This was no fucking good.

This was the reason I tried to avoid him as much as possible.

He made me dwell on things.

Maybe I should call Alice and ask if I could keep Humphrey over at my place? Shit that wouldn't work. There are no animals allowed in my building. I was just going to have to suck it up and try to ignore him.

I'd just solidified my plan of action in my head as I walked back through her front door. He was yet again fast asleep and sprawled out on the couch with the TV still playing low in the background.

I don't know how long I stood there gazing at him but he suddenly shivered.

Before my mind could register how much I hated this prick, I walked to the closet by the door and grabbed one of Alice's afghan's, walked over and covered him up with it.

What the fuck had gotten into me!

I had to get out of there. Now!

I spent the rest of the day browsing around the shops and shit that Port Angeles had to offer, yet I still couldn't decide on what to get my dad for Christmas.

The air was filled with good cheer and the smell of cinnamon and apple swirled all around as children ran around giggling excitedly while their parents charged around in a fluster.

Maybe I should stop trying and go for the obvious. Anything fishing related and he'd be made up.

I gave up for the day and started to head back towards the harbor. It was twilight and I loved nothing more than to sit up on the silver railings that edged the bay and watch the darkness engulf the world around me; even though it was so cold and I'd stupidly not put on my winter coat. But I didn't care. The black of night always brought me comfort before it brought me heartache in the form of my dreams.

I was suddenly disturbed by a snuffling sound by my feet.

When I looked down there jumped Humphrey, tail wagging and tongue bobbing up and down from the side of his mouth.

"Hey dude," I greeted him, jumping down and ruffling the fur on top of his head.

But wait, why was he...?

"Humphrey you stupid mutt, no! Come!" Edward's pissed of voice called then groaned as he realized where he'd run off to.

"Hey," I reluctantly offered.

"Hi." He shoved his hand in his pocket.

"I was just coming over to bring him out. You didn't have to...I mean."

He shrugged. "I needed some fresh air anyway."

A small pile of sand had collected by the post to the rail and he was pushing it around with his foot.

He always pawed at the ground like that when he was nervous or hurt; so the fact that he was doing it now made no sense.

"Did you cover me up...back at Alice's?" He pointed back over his shoulder and I followed his gesture with my eyes.

"Oh umm, yeah. You looked like you were cold." I shrugged making out that it was no big deal.

"Right," his eyes narrowed as they stared at the mound of sand by his foot.

"Well you don't need to take the mop out now tonight so you have no reason to stop by this evening," he nodded curtly before reattaching Humphrey's leash and turning to walk off.

"Nice to see you too!"

_Prick!_

"Oh, and you're welcome for the fucking blanket!" I seethed at his lack of manners.

See! that was why I hated him...that. The arrogant dick had well and truly wound me up, again.

Fuck this.

I stomped off in the same direction, pulling out my phone and finding Max's number. I was matching Dickward's strides and was passing him on his left side.

"Hey Max...Yeah it's me...You want to come over for a little fun later? You can make me scream again if you like..."

I noticed Edward stiffen by my side and pause mid stride. His hands went white as he tightened his grasp on the leather restraint in his hands.

"...Yeah just like last night...stop by about ten thirty-ten forty five... Great see you then...Oh, and Max...don't forget the whipped cream." With that I hung up.

I'd made more of a show of that phone call than I'd let on. I never actually pressed the call button. Somehow I knew that nothing Max could offer me tonight would fill the void within my chest. No one but the bitter man walking a few strides back could ever do that.

I turned to face him stood there seething. "Oh I might not be over until a little later in the morning. That should give you time to hide away all your little _trophies_. I really don't need to see that shit."

"Bella wait...I...thank you for the blanket," he struggled to get the words out and shocked me slightly at the genuine hint of sincerity in them.

Okay, so now I felt like a bitch.

Why was he even trying for damage control though?

"Yeah, whatever," I couldn't help myself but bite back.

If I stopped being the shrew he always took me for and we eased up on each other then I wouldn't be able to protect my heart again, as it would surely fall for the beautiful soul I knew lurked within him.


	4. Chapter 3

**Edward's POV**

Why was I letting it bother me? So what if she was with someone else right now?

I had dragged my feet all the way back to Alice's place in a bitter mood but didn't understand it one bit.

Isabella Swan was nothing to me.

At least that's what I kept telling myself.

I'd picked myself up a deluxe cheese pizza on the way and a six pack of Heineken and planned on vegging out in front of the TV with Humphrey for the night.

It hadn't gone to plan.

Instead I wound up pacing the room and talking to the dog like it was fucking Dr. Phil or something.

"I mean what does it matter right?" I asked and the dog cocked its head to the side, "It's not like she wouldn't have ever been with other guys? She's a woman and she's definitely..." I gestured with my hands as if tracing her now well developed body, while my eyes glassed over for a second. I pictured her stood a few feet away as she had this morning in that fucking orange-ish colored hoodie.

I'm sure she used to have one exactly like that back in school. I loved her in it. My hands always managed to find their way under its warmth when ever we made out. They liked nothing better than to be palming her amazing...

The sudden straining feeling in my pant's made me curse her again.

"Why can't I stop fucking thinking about her? Why is it bothering me? Her being alone with another man… his hands where mine should be…" I was talking like I expected Humphrey to understand me and bark out something profound." Wait why would _I_ want to go _there_ with my hands?" I slumped on the couch as my memories of the two of us engulfed my mind.

_------Flash back-----_

"_Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked. I was just as nervous as she was._

"_Edward, if you're not, then we don't have to." She ran her hand down my chest_

"_No! I mean yes... I want this. Of course I _want_ this but do you? If you're not ready then..." She stopped me with the sweetest kiss._

_Oh God, we were really going to do it. _

_My mind raced over everything we'd been through together._

_Everything that had led to that moment._

_I cared deeply for her, but I was seventeen and didn't know if what I was feeling was love or not. I had no experience of it to compare to. _

_I know she'd have loved for me to say it but, I didn't just want to say it to please her. I wanted to mean it when I said it. I'd tell her one day. Of that I was certain._

_We'd talked about doing this. Sharing our first time, for a while now and had been waiting until we had time on our own. Bella had gotten herself put on the pill because she didn't want her first time to be sheathed in rubber. She wanted to feel it for what it was. It wasn't like there was any risk of catching something ugly, so I had no problem with it._

_We'd been waiting an age to get time alone and it just wasn't happening. Sure we could have found a secluded spot out off the trail, parked up and gone for it in the back of my car but she deserved better than that. So I had started my own hunt for somewhere where we could take our time and she'd be warm and comfortable._

_I'd been out walking by the river behind our house in Forks when inspiration hit me._

_The old cottage._

_It was a rundown shell of a building but the roof was stable and it had the privacy aspect needed and we'd be far enough out of sight of my parents._

_I'd gone up there alone first and set it up with blankets and pillows which I'd snuck out from the house. Luckily I hadn't encountered any of my family for them to ask what in Christ's name I was doing hauling a huge lounger cushion over the river for._

_I'd set out candles around where it was safe for them to be. I didn't want to risk knocking them over when we were..._

_I'd led her up there and covered her eyes as we rounded the corner into the one room._

_She gasped at my handy work _

"_Oh Edward!" Her voice was barely more than a whisper as a single tear fell down her wonderfully soft cheek._

_I wiped it away and couldn't help beaming at the fact she liked it._

_Oh God, we really were going to do it._

_We sat down on the large cushion on the floor that I'd covered in blankets and spent ages just looking at each other._

_She drew little circles on the palm of my hand as I stroked back her hair from her face with my other._

_She was beautiful._

_I waited for her to make the first move. I didn't want to seem like a horny teenager that couldn't control himself and pounced on her as soon as we got there. Even though deep down I did kind of want to._

_She rose to her knees and scooted over to me, straddling my lap. I encased her in my arms and kissed her gently on her nose, reveling at the sight of her eyes closing in response._

_I kissed my way delicately down to her mouth and waited for her invite. She didn't hesitate to let me in._

_We'd made out before, hundreds of times and gotten heated and exited but we only ever got as far as my hands under her top and dry humping, and I never had a problem with that; but this kiss was gentle yet just as powerful. This kiss was the one that would lead us to a new place in our relationship. Change it and us forever._

_My hands reached up to cup her face while she laced hers through my hair and I had never felt so alive. Our mouths brushed lightly then forcefully together and our tongues joined. I held her to me as bodies pressed against bodies._

_She moaned against my lips and I knew I wouldn't be able to take it much more. Leaving one hand at the back of her neck the other found its way under her hoodie and to my favorite spot. I palmed my treasure and groaned too as I felt her nipples harden under my touch. Suddenly, it was as if a fire had been lit within me and I had to keep reminding myself what this was about, but that had only partially doused my burning need to feel every inch of her. I had to take my time tonight and savor her._

_She pulled back to look at me before biting her lip and reaching for my shirt buttons._

_I let her take her time with them before I reached to lift off hers._

_I could have died and been sitting in heaven as she sat there in front of me in a perfect white lace bra. She giggled as I couldn't help but stare with my mouth hung open like an idiot. This was more flesh of Bella's than I was used to seeing and I had to taste it. I kissed my way down her collar and settled between her breasts, letting the tip of my tongue glide over the softness. Her head fell back and more little gasps escaped her lips. They turned into moans quickly as I took one of her nipples into my mouth over the fabric covering them. I needed more so I looked back up at her with pleading eyes._

_She nodded and I reached round to unhook the clasp that had been keeping our skin from touching, while leaving my mouth to her. I didn't want to seem I like I was ogling her._

_She pulled me back up to her level and our lips grew nervous._

"_Edward, you're shaking." Her sweet scent washed over me with her words._

"_So are you. Are you cold?" My tone mirrored hers._

"_No, not cold," she smiled and laid herself out on the blanket before me and unbuttoned her jeans before slipping them off._

_I followed suit and removed my own before laying by her side._

_Seeing her like this was beyond describable. _

_Our kisses turned hungry again as our hands started to roam each others' bodies. I watched for her reaction as I allowed my hand to wonder towards the hot little pair of panties she was wearing that matched the bra, which had already been discarded. She bit her lip but didn't seem to want me to stop. I placed a ginger kiss on her lips before nuzzling the side of her throat with my nose. My hand dipped into the edge of her underwear and reached for her core. I groaned at the feeling of her under my touch. She was warm and wet and so ready for this but I didn't voice any of my findings._

"_Edward, please?" she gasped as I stroked her flesh._

_I sighed in contentment into her neck at her sudden boldness then tentatively let my finger push into her. Her back arched up as more moans rolled from her._

"_Oh God, Edward."_

_She felt even better on the inside. I added another finger and curved them around to try to find her secret spot._

"_Uuuunnggghhhhh." Her body moved around me, writhing in pleasure and my dick began straining against the waist band of my boxers._

"_Stop...stop." Her breathing was intense as she grabbed for my hand._

_I immediately stilled, fearing that I'd pushed my luck and hurt her._

"_What is it?" I asked in a sudden panic._

"_I'm...I'm...coming!" she growled._

_I grinned knowing I must have hit the right place and she was worried about my hand being where it was when her orgasm hit._

"_Are you really sure you want me to stop?" I whispered, hoping to God that she wasn't. I wanted to feel her._

"_No," she whimpered as she moved herself against me._

"_Then I won't," I reassured her._

"_But I'll...on your...Oh… God… Edwardddd."_

_Hell if that wasn't music to my ears._

_I was buzzing at what I knew I'd just done to her and couldn't wait for more. She shakily went to grab at my boxers but I stopped her._

"_Bella, I just want you." I was still shaking as she gulped hard along with me._

_She nodded and I positioned myself above her and her legs fell to my sides._

_I waited until she was ready before gently pushing my length into her. I couldn't stifle the groan emitting from deep in my throat at how amazing it felt. But stopped thinking about it when I saw her eyes closed and her body rigid._

"_Bella!" I panicked and was just about to move away when she grabbed my arms._

"_Wait!" She winced and I knew she was in pain but she wouldn't let go of me._

"_I don't want to hurt you Bella...I..." I tried again to remove my body from hers but she kept on clinging to me._

"_Sex Ed one 'o' one, Edward," she grimaced._

_Realization sunk in and I felt a little better. But I'd still hurt her and I didn't like it._

_After a moment she opened her eyes and gave me a crooked smile._

"_See, it's okay now. Just go slow for a minute." _

_I nodded and carefully pulled back again before pushing into her once more._

_We carried on at a gentle pace and she seemed to relax into it a little more and encouraged me to increase my pace. I didn't hesitate and the change was unbelievable. We carried on moving with one another and I could feel the building sensation stirring in me. I'd only ever had it on my own, in private, me being a hormonal teenager and all; but this was so much stronger._

_I lost myself in the sensations coursing through me when my name started to fall from her lips on repeat. Hearing her moan my name over and over nearly made me lose it then and there but I held back. She was close, and I wanted her to get there first._

"_EEEEDDDDWWAARRRRDDD! OH God Edddwwaarrddd!" Her body shook under me and I felt her muscles tighten like a vice around me; that's when I couldn't hold it any longer and erupted into her._

_I had never felt so complete before._

------End flash-------

When I managed to shake myself from the painful yet delicious memory of us I looked around to find Dr. Phil had gotten himself comfy over in his fluffy pet bet in the corner.

I tried to not to think about it too much because I both cherished and loathed that particular part of my past. I cherished it because it had been Bella; I loathed it because it was the start of bad things and the end of our relationship...and our friend ship.


	5. Chapter 4

Bella's POV

I felt the cold as I entered my lonely apartment.

My body ached and my eye's were drooping so I stopped trying to fight the inevitable and headed off to bed thinking about how lame I felt after my little fake call.

I took off my clothes and pulled on my flannel pyjama's. My heating system wasn't perfect and sometimes I had to brave the chilly nights wrapped up in a million blankets. The land lord had the repair on order for the past month and a half but I was still waiting. It wasn't so bad if I tucked the bottoms of the legs into my socks; it wasn't attractive but it did stop the drafts. I brushed my teeth, rinsed my mouth and climbed into bed. Sleep kept trying to encroach part of my mind as the rest tried to fight off my memories and I didn't know which would be worse.

-------Flash Back------

"_Are you coming over tonight?" I asked as I bit my lip._

_It had been two weeks since Edward and I had slept together but things had been a little strange between us over the past week._

"_I have a paper to work on." He pawed the ground with his foot as he shrugged._

"_Oh...Ok." I couldn't help the feeling of change that seemed to surround us recently._

"_So I'll probably see you at school tomorrow then." He leaned in and kissed my cheek...not my waiting lips._

"_Right." My voice broke in barely a whisper as I turned and headed into my father's house and rushed upstairs. I spent the night crying into my pillow silently; there was no way I wanted to have Charlie coming up here to find out what was wrong._

-------Different flash--------

"_Bella I'm telling you you're reading too much into this." Alice rolled her eyes at me as mine landed on him, stood with Emmett and his other friends._

_They were far enough away to not know we were there but close enough to hear what they were talking about...or laughing as the case happened to be._

"_Come on dude you've been holding out on me for a month...did you or did you not tap Swan?" Emmett badgered as he wiggled his eyebrows at Edward._

_I grinned knowing the answer to that question, and that Edward would keep him guessing._

_Edward suddenly grew a smirk and nodded._

_What? No! That was private. I hadn't even told Alice...My best friend who I shared everything with._

"_I fucking knew it! Please tell me it was worth all the months of quality time?"_

_Again he grinned and shrugged at him like it was no big deal. "It was definitely worth it."_

"_Awsome...So you sticking too or are you moving on to pasture's green? Lauren Mallory has a major Jones for you dude."_

_I didn't listen to anymore...I could feel my eyes prickling from the tears threatening to spill._

"_That lying son of a bitch!" Alice shook her head in Edward's direction. "I've got every mind to go over there and punch my brother...Who the hell does he think he is...making shit up like that about you."_

"_Alice just please leave it?" It nearly sounded like I was begging._

"_Bella...He's just made out that he's slept with you to those guys...I don't know what the fuck he thinks he's playing at but Mom will kill him if you wind up with a bad rep for this._

"_Alice, please...just..." My eyes were now overflowing down my cheeks as I couldn't hold the sobs ripping from me._

"_Bella he can't do tha..." A flicker of recognition dawned on her face as she looked at me and gasped. "Oh my God you did sleep with Edward." She searched my sombre face. "And now he's playing it up to the boys...I'm going to wipe that smirk of his face later I swear I'll...Wait you didn't tell me?" Now she looked slightly hurt too._

_I slumped onto the bleachers and she stopped talking; realising that I probably needed a hug more than to hear her rambling on about something that had just torn my heart._

_If that wasn't bad enough, by lunch it had spread like a disease around the halls of Fork's High, how Edward Cullen had nailed a very willing Bella Swan. Everywhere I walked people stared and whispered; and by the end of the day I'd overheard Lauren Mallory telling Jessica Stanley how she always though I'd been a secret slut._

_I wanted to crawl under a rock and hide._

-----End flash-----

I didn't quite get how after five years the pain could still rush through me as if it were yesterday.

I had to toughen up.

Grow a pair...figuratively speaking of course.

I'd have to be around the prick a fair bit this week but that didn't mean I had to be pleasant. Next time he could get his own goddamn blanket!

As usual my dreams were filled with him but I'd grown accustomed to his appearances in them.

When I woke up the next morning my body ached as if sleep had evaded me the entire night. Even though I'd dreamt of my memories, raking up shit he had done, as if trying to build up my arsenal against him; like I was trying to reinforce my armour.

-----Flash back-----

"_What the hell has gotten into you Bella?" Edward paced back and forth in front of me._

"_I hate this...I can't do it anymore."_

"_Can't do what?" Edward sat beside me as I continued to stare unseeingly into the forest by my house._

"_This...Us...I can't..." I couldn't look at him right now._

"_Wait what? What are you saying...Bella?" For the first time in a while he'd actually shown some kind of emotion towards me but it was too late._

"_I don't think we should see each other anymore Edward." Saying those words out loud cut me deeper than I'd ever imagined they would...I'd hoped never to have to say them._

"_Is this because I haven't said it yet?" He asked._

"_No. I know you want to make sure you mean it before you say it but...Edward. We've hardly spent anytime alone together since...And if I'm honest I feel kind of...used. I heard you last week...Talking to Emmett about me."_

_His face fell like the bleakest snow._

_I had to do damage control for my heart before it was too late._

"_Bella...I don't know what you think you heard but I'm pretty sure you got it wrong."_

"_Really?" I huffed._

"_Yes."_

"_Really?" I asked again with more sarcasm._

_He nodded still unsure of what I'd witnessed._

"_So I DIDN'T hear you telling Emmett we slept together?" I finally managed to lift my gaze to his. I wanted to see it....The realisation._

"_I never said I'd slept with you Bella!" His posture stiffened._

"_You never said those words, no, but you didn't have to. I saw your face, I saw you nodding when he asked if you'd 'tapped Swan' yet...I hope the quality time really was worth it too because I assure you...I won't make that mistake again." I didn't expect to see the hurt that now resided in his eye as I spoke those words._

"_Mistake? You think it was a MISTAKE?" A red rim was forming around his eyes and his voice was showing signs of cracking._

"_No...I didn't mean it that way...It was the best thing to ever happen to me...You've been the best thing that ever happened to me Edward...But I thought you respected me more than that...More than to let your friends laugh at my expense and cheapen what we had... I hadn't even told Alice for Christ's sake!" My cheeks were stained with tears at my use of past thence and Edward in the same sentence. "What am I supposed to think when you avoid me like the plague? You haven't kissed me in an age and then hearing you and Emmett like I did..."_

"_You're pissed and breaking up with me because I haven't kissed you and because you thought you over heard...?" His face was becoming more rigid with the passing moments._

"_Alice was there too Edward. She saw and heard you." I added in barely more than a whisper_

"_I'm sorry...They wouldn't stop bugging me about it! Emmett wouldn't let it drop...Bella please...?" He marched over and kissed me. His mouth crushed to mine and I so desperately wanted to reciprocate it..._

_But I couldn't...he'd hurt me._

_And I didn't mend easily._

_He pulled away to look into my wet, blank eyes before trying again to persuade me with another kiss that melted me; but the puddle he'd turned me into froze over._

"_Edward..." I gently pushed him away from me._

"_It's over...Just like that?" His eyes overflowed now as he started to paw at the ground again._

"_No it's not just like that Edward...It's been happening in front of you for the past month...I don't understand why you pushed me away...but it's too late to repair the damage...I'm sorry."_

_I stood and watched as he turned on his heel, walked to his car then peeled out the drive way and away from me._

_-----End Flash-----_

The day after that night, Lauren Mallory had thrown an impromptus party. Word had it that she was celebrating the fact that Edward Cullen was back on the market.

I went nowhere near it...I was too broken.

A few days after pictures of Edward with Lauren stuck to his face surfaced and put the final nail in the coffin surrounding my heart.

After that we got really nasty to each other for no apparent reason that I knew about anyway.

I got my self ready and grabbed a quick coffee before throwing myself in with the lion.

I dragged my feet the entire way to Alice's apartment and stood outside her door for a good ten minutes before I finally let myself in.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Edward's POV**

I'd just stepped out of a very refreshing shower and was on my way into the kitchen to grab a fresh cup of coffee when the door swung open and in walked the shrew herself.

"Oh...Oh God! I'm sorry...I didn't...know..." Bella's face turned bright red as she stood there biting those soft, plump lips as she'd just walked in to find me in nothing but a white cotton towel.

I don't know whether she was expecting me to run off and make myself decent while she was turned in the other direction, but she would be sadly mistaken. I loved watching her blush and get embarrassed like that. So, instead I walked over to the kitchen door and propped myself against it.

"I was just coming to take..."She kept her back to me and gestured blindly behind her.

The walking mop came scuttling over and slid straight into her ankles. She crouched down and scooped him up and started to make fucking cooing noises at it. The dog responded by licking up the left side of her face causing her to giggle. Lucky bastard.

"You do know he licks his balls with that tongue?" I couldn't help it. The perfect opportunity to increase that blush of hers had just conveniently landed in my lap and I had to take the bait.

"Yeah, a skill I'm sure you wish _you_ could master too!" She smirked with not a shades difference to her already blooming color.

When the fuck did Isabella Swan get feisty? I'd definitely miss that one and I definitely wanted to explore those possibilities.

Wait! What the fuck was I _thinking_? I didn't want to go there; then spend the rest of the night in pain from the memories.

It started the morning after the best night of my life. After I dropped her back off at her place my mind suddenly filled with a million and one worries and raced in just as many different directions.

I was worried that she'd think I'd been no good, even though she'd assured me otherwise.

I worried that she'd look at me differently and not in a good way

I worried that I couldn't give her everything that she deserved

I worried that things would change when we left for college.

But mostly I worried that something must wrong with me. Why I couldn't just say those simple yet powerful three little words to her? After everything we'd been through and shared and yet they always got stuck in my throat. She deserved to be told every moment of everyday that someone loved her. I should have been able to tell her that I did.

I tried to distance myself from her, hoping the time out would bring me some kind of clarity. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that shit, but it didn't work. While I was having my fifth of a life crisis I failed to see the true distance I'd put between us. I'd hurt her and I couldn't blame her for dumping my sorry ass.

I was a prick and she deserved so much better.

The day after Mallory held a party and I got dragged along by Emmett.

Her parties were notorious for underage drinking and getting busted up by the fuzz.

I really didn't want to be there but after a shot of tequila had been shoved under my nose I couldn't find it in me to care. I'd found my escape from the pain for the night. At least until my dreams bestowed themselves upon me when I could evade sleep no longer. After my sixth Jose Cuervo, I couldn't even remember my own name. I'd crashed in a chair to get my head down when I was disturbed by a very warm but very wrong pair of lips attaching themselves to mine. When I realized what was happening it was already too late. I heard the click of the button and witnessed the flash that left me disorientated.

I'd tried to talk to Bella and tell her how much she meant to me and we had at least begun speaking to each other again. That was until a set of very compromising pictures from Lauren's party started to circulate the quad.

From an outsiders point of view it would have looked a lot like I was making out with the spawn of the devil herself. And from the angle of the camera, there was no way you could see that I wasn't kissing her back.

She took great pride in making sure Bella got to see it and that ruined any chance I had left at getting her back.

That wasn't the worst of it either.

She seemed to make it her own personal mission to taunt and pick on Bella; bragging how not even twenty four hours after being dumped by her, that I'd supposedly gone seeking comfort from Lauren.

The only thing I'd ever go to Lauren Mallory for like that would be if I wanted to catch something nasty. I wouldn't even go there if she were the last woman on earth!

Not long after that though, a photo of me at the age of thirteen started to get passed around the halls off our high school. I was wearing a pair of Spiderman Pajamas and a very think set pair of glasses that I had hated with a fiery passion. I'd badgered and badgered the eye doctor to let me have contacts. When he finally conceded I'd thrown the putrid plastic frames in the trash before even leaving his office. That photo was the single most supreme embarrassment of my life and it had been plastered on lockers and doors all over the place. I was beyond humiliated. It was so bad at one point that I begged my mother to let me stay home but she told me I couldn't afford to miss my schooling.

I'd turned around from my own locker one day having cringed at the fresh picture I'd found there on my arrival, to find Bella stood across the corridor with my sister Alice and they were both laughing like hyenas.

I figured she'd want to make herself feel better after all that shit from Lauren but this was below the belt...Especially for her. She wasn't my sweet, caring best friend and girlfriend. Now she was some evil shrew that had managed to ruin my life. That had been the very first time I'd ever put Bella and the word 'bitch' into the same sentence.

I shook my head trying to regain some kind of focus again so I could try again to taunt her ass, only to find her gone.

Oh.

I made my coffee like planned and dressed for the day; opting for my long sleeved v-neck blue sweater and a pair of dark jeans. I spent a while toying with my hair; pulling at little strands here and there until I had a somewhat even look of unruliness. I never took this long over my hair or how I looked but after I'd smoothed my sweater down for the fourth time in ten minutes I got pissed off with myself. I didn't care how she thought I looked.

The time seemed to drag on for ever while she was gone with the dog.

I tried to watch TV but kept looking round to the door. I tried to make myself breakfast but I wasn't really all that hungry. I settled on sitting down at my piano and working on a new composition that had been floating around in my head. I got so lost in it that I didn't even realize that Humphrey had curled up by my feet and been soothed to sleep with the simple yet enchanting melody that seemed to be writing itself; as if I was just a host for the music to pass through.

Why was the mop back? I turned my head to the floor and he was definitely there. I stopped playing and looked around to see Bella so I could tease her but she was nowhere to be found.

Fucking figures.

I felt put out that I hadn't had the chance to make her blush again but shrugged my shoulders and turned once again to my music. The melody changed along with my mood. It now sounded bitter and disgruntled.

"Would it really have killed the bitch to say hi?" I asked as I turned back to my reliable listener.

He growled at my choice of words.

"Fucking traitor," I huffed before rambling on again. "I mean she flipped at me yesterday when I was short with her. You'd think she'd want to set an example for me; to teach me some manners or some shit like that, right?"

The dog got up looking annoyed and took himself into Alice's room.

I decided I would go over to her place later and set her straight-Practice what you preach and all that crap.

Yeah I would go over there and tell her what I think of her obnoxious, pretentious bitchy, but still hot, little ass. I'd take Humphrey too so she'd not need to take him out later giving me another night away from her.

It was only noon though and way too early for his evening walk so I sat and watched the clock tick by.

Three hundred and sixty minutes later I was pulling on my heavy pea coat and dragging the dog behind me.

I'd been through Alice's list of phone numbers and found Bella's near the top of the list. I'd called information and attained her address so I knew where I was going.

I stood in front of her door for a good ten minutes before I plucked up the courage to knock.

The door opened to a very shocked Bella. Standing there in a pair of checkered Pajama pants with the bottom of them tucked into her socks and a grey jersey sweater. She had her hair pulled up into a half assed pony and had a firm grasp of a bottle of Bud.

"Very attractive!" I quipped before she even had a chance to say anything.

Her response was to shut the door in my face.

I threw my head back in frustration and knocked again.

She opened it and I couldn't keep my mouth from running away with me. "I mean it. You could start a new trend." I chuckled as I looked down at the white tube socks hoisted over the leg holes of her pants.

And again she shut the door in my face.

If she remembered nothing else about me, she should have at least remembered my persistence.

I knocked again.

"Fuck off Cullen; I'm not in the mood!" She shouted through the partition between us.

"I'm sorry ok. I just wanted to stop by to tell you something."

The door opened and she stood there glaring at me with her hand on her hip.

"Shoot."

_Don't fucking temp me._

"Okay, but can I ask you one more thing first?" I pleaded, still needing to fill my quota of tormenting her.

"If this involves my socks do I get to punch you?"

I couldn't tell if she was being serious or not.

"Sure." I took the chance. "Why are you dressed for bed when it's only six thirty in the evening?" I risked a glance at her socks again and stifled the booming laughter that wanted to escape me.

"It's Sunday." She answered like I should know what that meant. When my face reminded puzzled she sighed and carried on. "Sunday night is..."

I remembered. "...Movie night," I finished.

"Yeah." She put the bottle to her lips and pulled deeply from it, taunting my ass with the way she licked her lips after she was done. "You said you had something to tell me?" she reminded me.

"Oh, yeah. Wait, why is it so cold in here? You so broke you can't afford the heating bill." It felt like an ice box.

"Yeah, you're fucking hysterical aren't cha? No smart ass. My system keeps playing up and I'm waiting for the landlord to get off his lazy, fat ass and send someone up to fix it! Besides...It's not _that _cold."

"Bella, it's freezing! How long has it been like this?" I asked, suddenly filling with concern for her.

"A little over a month," she shrugged. "It's no big deal." She added as she wrapped her arms around herself in an aid to get warm. I suddenly felt bad for standing here, letting the little bit of precious heat she had left out the door.

I noticed her teeth chattering and all sense of the wench I hated went out the window for the moment.

"Go grab some stuff you're coming back to Alice's place with me." I gestured towards one of the rooms that led off from her sitting room.

"Yeah like _that's_ going to happen!" She laughed at me.

Bad move, Swan.

I did say I was persistent right?


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Edwards POV

"Forget it...Not a chance Cullen! Ut uh." She stood there shaking her head like I'd as if I'd asked if I could cut off her leg.

"Get over yourself Isabella and go get some clothes and shit together. I'm not taking no for an answer." I shut the door and folded my arms over my chest while Humphrey sat by my side looking back and forth between us.

She huffed.

"I'm not going anywhere! I've got pizza in the oven, beer in the fridge and a movie loaded up and ready to go. Hell, I'm already dressed for comfort and bed and I'm damn well going to have my movie night like I have every Sunday for the past seven years! Now get the fuck out of here and don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out...wait...scratch that, make sure it does!" She walked behind me and opened the door again; waiting for my departure.

She was so easy to wind up.

I leaned down until my mouth was inches from her ear. "I'm not going anywhere until you see sense and get that tight little ass of yours over to my sister's place before you catch hyperthermia or something else induced by extreme cold conditions." I whispered; almost letting my lips brush against her ear...almost. She let out a ragged breath and shuddered and I had to fight off the urge to kiss her there on that soft bit of skin that I knew would make her moan.

Fuck, what was that?

She suddenly seemed to collect her thoughts again and she slammed the door shut and walked over to settle herself back down on the couch. I watched as she picked up the remote and started mumbling about how I'd be waiting until hell froze over.

"...DILLIGAF!" She yelled over her shoulder before she pushed the button to play the movie.

What the fuck was that? It wasn't even a word?

"First of all Izzie..." I knew she hated being called that...that and Isabella. "FYI this _is_ hell and it's already fucking freezing. It's so cold that I could hang my coat off of your nipples that are staring like fuck at me even through that thick sweater of yours." I spat as her eyes went wide before she crossed her arms over her chest. "Seriously, I don't know why you've even bothered putting your beer in the cooler. And finally...DILLIGAF? DILLIGAF? What the fuck is that? It's not even a word!"

"It means Mr. Cullen...'DO I LOOK LIKE I GIVE A FUCK!!' There's a song about it on YouTube, go look it up!" she quipped back.

"I'm trying to be nice here and offer you somewhere to stay where there's no risk of you waking up in the morning without any toes! You could at least try and be nice about it." I walked over to her fridge and helped myself to a beer.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? That's mine!" She half turned on the couch and yelled over at me as she watched me slam the edge of the bottle against the counter top to open it. "And if you've put so much as a scuff on that you'll be replacing it!"

"I'm sorry, did I get your panties in a twist?" I smirked as I took a sip of the golden liquid. I held it up and looked at the bottle closely. "I think there are a few fucking ice crystals forming in this."

"Fuck you!" She turned back to the movie menu playing over and over on her flat screen before turning once again towards me. "And don't think for one minute that you've had any effect on my panties!"

Her face showed nothing but rage and my dick thought it was the hottest thing ever and did its own little happy dance.

"So what are we watching?" I asked in a happy go lucky tone, knowing that it would bug the shit out of her.

"_I'm_ watching Bourne and _you're_ leaving!" She looked from the screen to the door then back to me smiling, while she stroked the dog as he'd conveniently gotten himself comfy at her curled up feet.

"I told you, I'm not going until you see sense and come with me," I grinned.

"I'm not going anywhere with you...you arrogant, self righteous son of a bitch!" She laughed as she shook her head at me again.

"I beg to differ!" An eat shit grin sat on my face and I couldn't help the fuzzy fucking feeling rising within me at how great it felt to be around her again, even if I was taunting her ass like my life depended on it.

"Oh? And what are you going to do to make me? Carry me off like a caveman? You'd not get very far with me screaming from over your shoulder!" Feisty Bella was back and I liked spending time with her.

"No, I was thinking about annoying the shit out of you until you yield and come along like a good little girl." I patted the top of her head like a child and her hand flew out to hit it out of the way. Our skin touched and ignited some feelings in me that I'd tried to forget about a long time ago. We both quickly pulled back from the contact and stared at each other for a moment.

There she was, my Bella.

No, not _my_ Bella.

She hadn't been that for a long time.

Then why did I suddenly get the urge to have her as mine again.

"Yield? What are you, a fucking knight?"

"Why yes fair Bella and I've come to rescue you in my shinny Volvo! Take heed my lady we must flee from these icy depths to a safer haven!" I toyed in my best fake price voice. Then I reminded myself that I was twenty four and a grown up.

"Save me oh arrogant one!" She quipped back in a flat droll tone. "Now if you don't mind letting yourself out while I watch a bit of Matt Damon all buffed up." She leaned her head in the opposite direction from me and inspiration hit me between the fucking eyes. I remembered movie nights, spending the night curled up on the couch with her in my lap. And I remember having to sit through Ghost when it was her turn to choose.

"John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt...His name is my name, too! Whenever we go out...The people always shout 'there goes John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt!' Da da da da da da da!" Ok so it was no 'I Henry the eighth.'..but I knew John Jacob better...AND it was more annoying. I started to sing it again and twice as loud. "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt...His name is my name, too! Whenever we go out...The people always shout 'there goes John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt!' Da da da da da da da!"

"If you think that's going to annoy me you're going to be sadly mistaken." She chuckled and turned up the volume on the DVD while I continued singing and nodding my head from side to side.

"...People always shout 'there goes John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt!' Da da da da da da da! John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt...His name is my name, too! Whenever we go out...The people always shout 'there goes John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt!' Da da da da da da da!"

Ten minutes later...

"John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt...His name is my name, too! Whenever we go out...The people always shout 'there goes John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt!' Da da da da da da da!"

"Still not annoying me." She smiled but I could see the twitch in her eye that meant she'd crack before I did.

"...Schmidt!' Da da da da da da da!" I paused.

"HA! Told you you wouldn't get to me." She almost seemed smug.

"John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt...His name is my name, too! Whenever we go out...The people always shout 'there goes John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt!' Da da da da da da da!"

She groaned and tried to cover her ears with two cushions. Humphrey looked pained too. I'd make it up to him after for having to put up with this shit; buy him a big juicy steak and serve it to him on a silver platter.

The credits to the film were rolling and she'd already been to remove the cremated pizza from the oven, that she'd forgotten about while _not _getting annoyed with me, and yet on I went...

"....Jingleheimer Schmidt...His name is my name, too! Whenever we go out...The people always shout 'there goes John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt!' Da da da da da da da!"

Four hours and a hoarse voice later...

"'...There goes John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt!' Da da da da da da da!" I grinned as Bella got up and stormed over to her room; slamming the door behind her.

Of course I followed.

"John Jacob Jingleheimer..."

"OK ENOUGH! GOD! PLEASE? NO MORE!" She screeched as she swung open her door.

She now stood fully dressed and had a bad slung over her shoulder. She passed me to go into her bathroom to grab her toiletries and I grinned like an idiot.

I won!

I did a mental victory dance and everything!

"Going somewhere?" I asked cockily.

"I hate you!" She spat but her mouth twitched this time and I knew deep down she didn't. "And I won't forget to get you back for this shit!"

"Why? For showing my concern and not wanting you to freeze to death?" I faked being hurt by her words. "Besides, I'm only trying to return the favor from yesterday."

"Just get a fucking move on. I'm freezing!"

I couldn't stop smirking at her as we headed back to Alice's house and it was driving her crazy.

"You don't have to look so fucking smug about it!" She griped as we rounded the last corner.

"Yes...Yes I do." I started whistling the tune of her annoyance and she lashed out to hit my arm again.

She looked confused when I stopped at the pizza place a few doors down from my sisters building but tried to hide a smile when I reminded her she hadn't eaten.

By the time we made it back it was nearly midnight and we were both starting to get tired, but we stayed up to eat the pizza and actually had a half decent conversation about what we'd been up to since school.

I could get used to this.

"I can do that you know." She pointed to the guest bed that I was making up for her while she propped up the door frame.

"I know, but I figured you might get pissed off with it since you're so annoyed and all. It's done now anyway." I answered as I shook the quilt out over the fresh sheets.

"I guess I should say thanks or something...I do appreciate it even if I don't seem overly excited at the prospect of having to share space with you." She shrugged and a hint of a blush seeped into her cheeks.

"That's ok. You know you're not so bad when you're not being a total shrew. And at least you won't have to tuck in your socks." I chuckled as I walked nearer to her and without thinking I lowered my mouth to her cheek; kissing it ever so gently before walking out of the room.

Holy Fuck! Why in Christ's name did I do that? More to the point why am I not more disgusted with myself like I should be for doing it?


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Bella's POV

I spent a while mulling over the kiss he'd left me with before I came to the conclusion that it was his way of trying to get me to forget about earlier on and how he'd annoyed the shit out of me.

I'd been so determined not to let him get to me with that stupid song but after four hours I got to the point where I would have preferred to have all my teeth pulled out of my mouth with no Novocain!

Well if he thought that kissing me would mean I wouldn't get my own back then he was sadly mistaken.

I slept relatively well albeit for the dreams that I had grown accustomed to over the years; though this time they seemed to feature more of the good times Edward and I had shared instead of the heartbreaking shit that still haunted me.

The weekend was over and I had work today.

I have always had a love for literature and followed my passion through my education. I now taught a bunch of eleventh grader's about it. Most of them goof around but there were a few that really knuckled down and enjoyed the reading material the school's curriculum covered and those kids made my job worthwhile. If I could teach them the basics and they took a love of the classics away from my lessons then I could put up with the rest of them.

I got up and peeked out the door of Alice's guest room.

I could hear Edward snoring from the other room so I knew I was safe. I grabbed my things and headed over to the bathroom. I could take a quick shower and be out and dressed before he even got up.

That was the plan until I stepped into it and the warm water crashed over my tense shoulders. Once there I found it hard to find it in me to rush, so I shut my eyes and got lost in my own thoughts; I lost track of the time.

Knock Knock!

Shit! I wanted to be out before he got up.

"Bella, can I come in? I really need to piss...umm, I mean, use the toilet." Edward shouted through the door to me.

"Yeah, right! Like I'm going to let you in here while I'm showering!" I scoffed.

"Well, please hurry the fuck up so I can use the bathroom.

"I'll be out in a minute!" I called, in my sweet as apple pie voice.

I had no intention of rushing now.

Pay backs a bitch, Cullen!

A few more minutes passed before he started to frantically knock again.

"BELLA, PLEASE! I'm not going to be able to hold this much longer!" His voice was getting higher in pitch with each word and I could picture him now, standing on the other side of the door cupping his dick in both hands and bouncing up and down.

"Coming!"

"Is that why it's taking you so fucking long to get your ass out of there?"

That was quick. Even for him and I couldn't help chuckling at his sarcasm.

But I still didn't rush.

"BELLA!" He yelled. "I get it! This is for yesterday right? I annoyed you so this is your way of getting me back!" I heard him laugh manically. "We it's not going to work, Swan!"

"Funny, I thought it already was! I'm not the one dancing on the spot to get in here." A smug grin sat itself on my face as he huffed.

"Fine!"

Fine...Fine? What did that mean? After a minute I noticed it had gone quiet.

I thought nothing of it.

When I'd done and brushed my teeth I wrapped the large soft white towel around my waist, thinking back to Edward in his yesterday. I shook the thought away and opened the door to head back to the guest room.

"Bathroom's free." I called out in fake innocence.

"That's fine I don'..." He turned to look at me while eating a bowl of fruit loops.

I stood there wrapped in the towel with my hair soaking down my back; His jaw hit his knees and his spoon stilled an inch from his mouth.

He quickly turned back to the TV. "I don't need to go anymore." There was a hint of sarcasm in his reply that I didn't like as he continued to eat his breakfast.

Odd.

"Ok." I shrugged, disappointed that he wasn't racing to break the door down any longer.

I pulled my holdall onto the bed and started rifling through it to find one of my work outfits.

Knowing I'd have to go to work from here, I made sure to pack a couple of day's worth of clothes and clean underwear.

I chose a black matching underwear set and donned my knee length black pencil skirt and my favorite rust colored hoodie; choosing to wear a white, spaghetti strap tank top underneath. The dress code at work was always smart casual. So I finished off my ensemble with a pair of snug fitting black boots that covered my calves and stopped just before my knees.

I dried off my hair the best I could with the towel and swept the front bangs out of my face, securing them with hair pins; the rest hung loosely around my shoulders. My hair dried off pretty well on its own so I didn't worry about frizzing.

I walked back out into the sitting room to find Edward also had been speedy in his own preparations for the day.

He'd showered already and I noticed his hair was damp and he was dressed in dark jeans and a tan V-neck sweater that he'd pushed the sleeves up half way between his wrists and his elbows. Edward had followed his own love of science and worked in the local hospital as a Lab tech so he could wear normal every day clothes because they'd be covered by a white coat while he was there. His eyes widened at me in a skirt and I remembered that he'd never seen me in one before. I'd always worn pants or jeans. I hated my legs being on show back when we were in school but since I'd filled out in all the right places, my legs no longer seemed gangly and spindle like. I now had shape…curves.

"I bet the boys' grades aren't as good as the girls' are in your classes are they?" He asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Why do you say that?" I asked as I took the cup of coffee he was just handing me. "Thanks, I so need this!" I took a tentative sip of the steaming liquid.

"Am I right?" He asked smugly.

"What if you were?" I raised my eyebrows at him in a challenging manner.

"I knew it. You know, maybe if you went back to wearing pants all the time they wouldn't have so much of a hard time concentrating!" He smirked as he took a drink from his own cup.

I turned away to walk to the kitchen while trying to hide the sudden flush of color on my cheeks.

I decided to fill the watering can and tend to the plants.

Edward watched my every move as I headed over to Alice's beloved Ficus.

"You don't need to water that today I already did it." His face held a look of amusement as I moved on to the next one. "Or that one." He was chuckling to himself and I couldn't make any sense of it.

It turned out he'd watered most of them but the last four.

"So why didn't you do the last ones?" I asked.

"Because I didn't have to pee any more after the fifth one." His laughter filled the room as realization sank in to what the fuck he meant.

"OH MY GOD! YOU DISGUSTING ASSHOLE!" I yelled as I stormed towards the kitchen to put the watering can back and grab Humphrey's leash. "If they die...You can tell Alice. Fuck she'll be in mourning for a month!"

He laughed even harder as grabbed my coat and headed for the door.

Edward left for work as I left with the dog.

By the time I was on my way back from work later that day, I was beat. All the kids were hyped up due to the fact that the holidays were only a couple of weeks away and if I was honest I was glad too. The weekends just weren't long enough anymore to have a decent break.

I reluctantly let myself in to Alice's apartment before reaching for the phone and calling my landlord to see what the situation was with my heating. I didn't want to stay here with him any longer than I needed. He told me he was waiting for a part to be delivered but changed his mind when I reminded him that he hadn't even had anyone out to look at it yet. He fobbed me off anyway and I was too worn out to argue with him.

As I hung up, the phone rang. I looked around and thought about leaving it for the machine but figured it wouldn't hurt anyone if I answered it.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Oh! Um… hi." A very shocked voice replied to me. "Is Edward there?" The voice asked.

"Um, no actually, he hasn't gotten back in from work yet. Can I take a message?"

"Yeah, you can tell him that Tanya Called." She sounded pissed.

Wait I could have fun here.

"One second, I think he just got back. Hey Baby, how was your day?" I held the phone to my chest but not enough to muffle the sound completely. "Um, I'll pass on your message but he's kind of not in the mood to be doing much talking, If you know what I mean...Edward! Stop it! I'm on the phone!" I giggled.

"That's ok I'll deal with him later then!" With that she hung up.

A Hundred bucks said that she was a blonde!

Then I started to feel bad...really bad. What if she'd been someone important to him?

What the hell had he turned me into? I really was a bitter Shrew.

When Edward came in the door he threw his coat over the couch and crashed down on it, letting his head fall back against the rest.

I told him about his call and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Wait, you're not mad that I did that?" I asked pulling my eyebrows together in confusion.

"Are you kidding? I went out with her once and she's been practically stalking my ass ever since!" He shook his head at some memory playing over in his mind. "You did me a favor, thanks."

Just then my own cell rang. I took it out from my pocket and glanced down at the screen

Max Calling...

I looked at Edward sitting there while I bit my lip but then flipped it open.

"Hey Max." I spoke with reluctance.

**Edward's POV**

My head shot up to look at her. I'd remembered the name from the other night.

"Why would I call I didn't need you for...anything." She gulped as I my eyes burning into her back.

"Max...We've been over this! Please don't start getting clingy...No!" She looked to the ground and rubbed her hand across her head.

I felt a mixture of emotions surge through me as I listened to her half of the conversation.

"Well, maybe we shouldn't hook up anymore...I can't do this...Max you know I can't...You knew the rules! I made sure you knew them and you were fine with them!"

Some poor bastard was getting his heart stamped on and I suddenly felt a pang of resentment towards her as all the things she said and did to me came flooding back.

"Yeah, you too!" She hung up the call and turned towards me.

My face was set pretty hard.

"Sorry about that..." She started.

"Don't worry about it. I feel sorry for the guy. I know what it's like to be on the receiving end of one of your break ups!" My tone was icy.

"Wait a fucking minute, Cullen! You know nothing about him or me!" She folded her arms across her chest.

"I know you like to fucking break guys hearts and humiliate them!"

"Did you just take something while I wasn't looking? Seriously, why does it matter to you if I just broke up with someone? Not that it was anything to start with!" She turned to walk away.

"That'd be right..." I lifted my hand. "You're going to walk away now like you did when you broke my heart? Find some way of humiliating him, like you did me?"

"You know you're talking shit now right? What the fuck are you on about?" She yelled back at me. "You were the one that broke my heart when you went all fucking deep and brooding right after we had sex! I've got to tell you Edward...That's enough to fucking seriously debilitate someone! Then to fucking make out with the school whore the day after!"

"I DIDN'T FUCKING DO ANYTHING WITH LAUREN FUCKING MALLORY!" I screamed at her as we started to close the distance between us. "SHE FUCKING ATTACHED HERSELF TO ME WHEN I WAS SHITFACED, TRYING TO STOP THE FUCKING PAIN YOU'D CAUSED IN MY CHEST WHEN YOU DUMPED MY ASS! YOU KNOW RIGHT BEFORE YOU DECIDED TO HUMILIATE ME IN FRON OF THE WHOLE GOD DAMN SCHOOL!" My breathing had hitched up with using the extra volume in my voice.

"I DIDN'T FUCKING DO ANYTHING TO HUMILIATE YOU! I WAS THE ONE HUMILIATED BY THE SLUT GOING ROUND SHOWING PICTURES OF THE TWO OF YOU!" She was up in my face and I struggled to keep a lid on my temper.

"YOU PUT THOSE FUCKING PICTURES UP EVERYWHERE! MY LIFE WAS HELL! I SAW YOU AND ALICE LAUGHING ABOUT IT; REMEMBER?"

"YOU SAW US LAUGHING AT THE FACT WE'D JUST FUCKING SEEN MIKE NEWTON FALL ON HIS ASS AFTER TRYING TO BE A SMART ASS ON THE QUAD! HE FELL ITO A FUCKING BUSH AND WE WERE STILL LAUGHING ABOUT IT WHEN YOU SAW US!" Hurt suddenly filled her eyes. "YOU THINK I DID THAT?"

"You're telling me you didn't?" I'd managed to tone myself down as I listened to her.

"NO I FUCKING DIDN'T! I LOVED YOU EDWARD! BREAK UP OR NOT! YOU DON'T JUST STOP LOVING SOMEONE. I WOULD HAVE NEVER DONE SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO YOU." She hadn't stopped her shouting. "I HATED SEEING YOU LIKE THAT...SO UPSET AND DEPRESSED. BUT YOU CHANGED AND GOT NASTY AND BITTER AND I HATED YOU FOR IT. I HATE THAT WHAT WE HAD GOT RUINED BY STUPIDITY...I HATE THAT WE COULDN'T BE FRIENDS...BUT WHAT I HATE THE MOST IS THAT EVEN NOW...FIVE YEARS LATER...YOU STILL HAVE THE WHOLE OF MY FUCKING HEART AND THERE'S NOTHING I CAN FUCKING DO ABOUT IT!"

My heart felt like it would explode at hearing her tell me that shit. I couldn't help myself. I took the last stride between us and pulled her to me in a hungry, needy hold and smothered my mouth to hers.

She pushed away before changing her mind and grabbing me herself and forcing our lips together in the most combustible way.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Bella's POV**

What was happening?

Edward's lips were pressed hungrily to mine and I couldn't find it in me to stop him. I wanted this...I think. He grabbed my hips and pulled me to him forcefully and I couldn't help but feel his dick, already hard, press against me and I won't lie, my panties became a little more than just damp. His hands roamed my sides and back greedily as my hand wound into his bronzed locks, pulling him down onto me harder; causing him to groan into me. He made his way down the side of my throat and I almost forgot how to breathe. He worked his way up and down the side of my neck and gently bit down just under my ear and I couldn't help but whimper and moan.

"I knew it," he mumbled while never letting up his assault.

"What?" I breathed as my eyes rolled all over the place in delight.

"That I'd make you moan if I kissed you there." Again he never lifted his lips fully off of my skin.

I giggled and that seemed to spur him on.

I couldn't understand how we'd gone from fighting to this in such a short space of time. How I could go from hating him to craving him?

I would have gotten completely lost then and there in him if it hadn't been for the almighty rumble of thunder that caught my attention.

Fuck!

I broke away and stared up at him with fear in my eyes.

"It's just a storm, Bella. It's ok." His breathing was labored as he tried to catch his breath.

"Edward I can't..." I bit my lip and then spun towards the window as a flash of white light illuminated my view.

"Bella, it's fine, don't worry about it." His tone was back to being cold and I knew his words had a double meaning and I guessed he'd taken mine the wrong way. I wasn't saying I couldn't to him. I was saying it because of the storm.

I'd been terrified of them ever since I was six and saw a bolt of lightning strike the ground not a hundred feet from my house. I'd never told him about it. I'd never been anywhere near him when a storm struck so I never thought to tell him. Now I just felt stupid. I was a twenty three, nearly twenty four year old teacher that wanted to run to her daddy to keep her safe from the nasty noises.

"I'm going to take out the mop before that rain comes." He pointed out the window at the charcoal clouds rolling in from the coast.

By the time I'd turned back around to him, he'd donned his jacket and attached the dogs leash before stepping to open the door.

"WHAT..? YOU CAN'T GO OUT THERE IN THIS?" My voice was frantic at the thought of anyone being outside in a storm...and he wasn't just anyone.

"It's just a storm Bella!" He shot before walking out and shutting the door with a little more force than was necessary.

Another clap of thunder sounded and it seemed nearer than the last.

Panic started trying to cripple me as my chest tightened and the power went out. The only light now coming from the lightning flashes streaking through the now darkened sky; making shadows dance eerily around the room.

**Edward's POV**

"Come on you stupid mutt! Get to it already!" I grumbled as I bounced up and down in the cold. The heavens had opened and I was already drenched to the point where I couldn't really get any wetter. The dog looked like a drowned oversized rodent with his fur stuck down but seemed to want to take his time regardless. I thought back to Bella all safe and warm up in the apartment and couldn't help thinking about how amazing it had been to have my hands on her, my lips caressing hers. It felt so much better than I ever remembered. But as usual she'd played the 'I can't' card.

I couldn't take this shit. First thing in the morning I'd call some engineering company to go fix her heating myself! I'd even fucking pay for it if it meant I could get my head back together. Being around her was messing it up big time.

It probably was a good idea that we didn't do anything we'd more than likely regret tomorrow. My mind raced over what had happened over the past half hour, that was all it had been since I got in from work. We'd managed to have an argument, make out and get pissed off again and take out the dog in just thirty minutes.

He finally did his business and we headed back for the apartment.

She'd said that Max had been nothing, yet she slept with him. I thought I knew her and from what I remembered she wasn't into just getting off for the sake of it; not when she had so much love to give. He had to have meant something, right?

I noticed that it was unusually dark but brushed it aside until we got back to a dark building. I looked around to see everything cloaked in dark shadow.

Great! The power was out. Could it get any worse?

I figured she didn't like storms with the way she reacted to me going out in it but I had no idea just how bad her fear was until I walked into the apartment.

"Bella!" I threw my keys on the side and unhooked the dog's leash and he immediately started to shake himself off; throwing droplets of dirty water everywhere. "Thanks to you too!"

The sky growled menacingly and the room flooded with light for a second before being swamped back into darkness. "Bella!" I called her again, thinking she'd be in the bathroom or something.

Nothing.

I looked around the place that sat in silence; the only sounds coming from the torrential rain hitting the windows and the almost now constant thunder rolling over.

Humphrey went to sit by the guest bedroom door and started whimpering.

"What is it, dude?" I asked as I walked over to where he was; the door was ajar. I gently pushed it open but couldn't see anything through the darkness.

I heard her before I saw her.

Just then the angry storm seemed to be directly overhead and a string of constant lightening illuminated the room.

"Fuck!" I ran over to the far corner of the room where she was huddled up shaking and whimpering incoherently. "Bella!" Panic washed through me as I crashed to the floor next to her and pulled her into me.

"Make it stop please. Make it stop?" She begged me, suddenly clinging onto me for dear life. She was terrified beyond anything I'd ever seen anyone get with a storm. "Please...please...?" She buried her face into my chest as the thunder roared on. I could feel her trembling and felt helpless.

"Bella, I'm so sorry? I would never have left you here if I'd have known you be...I'm sorry!" I felt a lump growing in my throat at seeing her so distressed and it caused an almost unbearable ache in my heart.

I moved her slightly so I could stand up but she just clung on tighter.

"Don't leave me...Please?" Her eyes were wide and filled with fear and I knew mine must be their reflection. I was scared to see her like this, to hear her beg and plead with me...me, who she hated. I was supposed to hate her too but that emotion was too hard to muster when faced with her like this. "Please?"

"It's okay, baby. I'm not going anywhere. It's okay, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." The lump continued to grow as she shook within my arms and sobbed frantically. I wrapped my arms around her tighter hoping she'd feel safe and secure. "It's okay, Bella." I instinctively cradled her head to me and kissed her hair. "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise, baby. I promise."

I stayed there on the floor of that room with her like I promised I would for hours. I didn't move. I just kept holding her while the storm calmed enough for her to breathe again. It finally died down and she started to release her grip on me.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was horse and quiet as she hung her head.

"Why? You didn't do anything." I couldn't help but smile at her.

"I didn't mean for you to see me like that...I just..." The lights flickered back on in time for me to see a few stray tears rolling silently down her cheeks. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot yet still remarkably beautiful.

**Bella's POV**

He'd stayed with me.

Holding me.

I climbed off of his lap and sat back on my feet, still hanging my head because of my childishness.

"Bella, I'm the one that's sorry. Like I said, I would never have left you here like that if I'd known. I've never known you to be so scared of anything before." He pushed back the curtain of hair that had fallen, back behind my ear and his hand lingered on the side of my face.

"I've only ever been scared of two things in my entire life and that one wasn't even the worst." I mumbled as I thought about my fear of giving my heart to someone again.

"What was the other one?" He asked with true earnest in his eyes.

"Doesn't matter." I shrugged and yawned, I was clearly been worn out by all the crying and shaking.

"I think it's time for you to go to bed" He smiled as I looked at him.

All traces of the arrogant asshole had still yet to come back from taking the dog for a walk apparently, because the man in front of me now was the one I remembered being in love with.

He stood up and held out his hand for me to take, pulling me up with him. I being the klutz I was fell into his arms and he didn't seem to want to let me go either but thought better of it and released me from his arms.

"I'm going to..."He pointed to the door before placing a chaste kiss on my cheek again.

I could get used to this.

I changed for bed and scurried under the covers hoping that sleep would overtake me quickly tonight.

I lay awake for a while before I heard the tell tale rumbling in the distance that meant we were in for round two of the storm.

Fuck!

I pulled the covers over my head and shut my eyes tight like I was back to being six again.

That's when I felt the bed dip and a very warm pair of arms wrapped around me from behind and pull me closer.

"I promised I'd stay with you through the storm, didn't I?" He answered my unasked question.

Humphrey had dried off and decided he didn't like the thunder either and trundled into the room, curling up by the side of the bed as he let out a whimpering sigh.

The tail end of the storm wasn't as bad but still had me trembling in his arms. He held me tightly whenever the sky growled and it didn't seem to be as bad this time.

My mind was able to think of other things other than the million ways a storm could be destructive, unlike earlier when every possible horror flooded my mind as I sat in the dark, alone.

I figured that would be a good description of our relationship in the past. It had certainly been filled with power and electricity and in the end it was very destructive. We'd both held grudges against the other for so long. Our storm had seemed to calm now though.

I couldn't have been more content in that moment. Edward apparently could. I felt how much more content he could be poking into my back.

"Edward?" I asked while a smile broke across my face.

"Yeah?" He sighed as he snuggled into me closer, causing his contentment to prod me even more.

"I hope that's a flash light!"


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Bella's POV

"It's not a flash light Isabella." I could feel him grin into my hair.

I squirmed around until I was facing him and looked right into his eyes; they were a beautiful shade of emerald green but they looked almost black in the darkness.

"I swear I didn't put up the picture of you in those Spiderman Pajamas. I would never be that cruel...Even after all that shit with Lauren I..." I sighed and shut my eyes, preparing for the pain that would come with my next words. "I loved you, Edward...I wouldn't have hurt you like that."

He kissed my nose. "I'm sorry I was too stubborn and bitter to not realize that. I don't even know why I jumped to the conclusion you did it. I just saw you and Alice and..." He looked down. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Bella. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure?" I bit my lip nervous as to what he would ask.

"Tell me about Max." He looked reluctant but determined to find out about the other man he thought was in my life.

"Oh...Max." I sighed and he stiffened at my side like maybe he thought he was overstepping the mark being here in bed with me. "Max is a friend." I answered.

"A friend that you hug? Or a friend that you...kiss?" Again he seemed filled with apprehension. That was Edward's way of asking if it was just friendship or if we had sex.

"Kind of friends with benefits." I filled with self hatred when I thought about it like that.

"Oh..." He fell silent for a moment. "And now your friend..." He probed.

"Wants more than just the benefits." I sighed as I dared to look back at him; expecting to see disgust or anger but there was none.

"And you don't?" He tried to smile.

"No, I can't afford to give my heart away." I answered honestly; knowing I'd have to elaborate. He pulled his eyebrows together so I continued. "I got my heart broken a few years ago by an amazing guy that I loved with all my heart. He didn't feel quite the same but it was too late. He had my heart. I foolishly broke up with him and everything changed for the worse. I vowed after that to never give my heart away again. That way it would never break again like it did then. I can still feel it trying to heel even now."

The look in his eyes turned to one of sorrow and pain. "Maybe he had felt the same."

I ignored him and continued my explanation.

"I mended enough to get on with my life but I never ever let myself fall for anyone. I set down ground rules...Wow it sounds so bad when I put it like that!" My mind wondered to all the times I'd met someone and set out the rules first. "Max had been broken by his ex and he needed the same thing I did. Everything was good. He knew my deal and he accepted it. But now he wants more and I can't give him it. I won't."

"I really fucked up." He finally spoke in barely more than a whisper.

"I think we were both to blame, Edward." My voice mirrored his.

I felt tears falling from the corner of my eye and they created a damp patch on the pillow below me. I closed my eyes.

His warm lips kissed them away.

I didn't want to fight with him anymore. I just wanted to be with him.

Here and now.

And I didn't care if he went back to calling me a shrew tomorrow.

I pushed my forehead to his and we spent a moment just looking at one another. We both seemed to be struggling with the urge to kiss; making slow, exaggerated, little movements with our heads.

I took the decision away from him and brushed my lips to his. He did the same and we carried on our baby steps for a while before I felt him apply more pressure to his kisses. I started to kiss him back with the same effort.

His hand came up to brush my hair back and cup my face as his mouth sought access from me. His tongue slowly and gently swiped across my bottom lip begging me for entrance.

I'd already gone dizzy and having his tongue swirl around with mine sent me crazy; causing me to moan into his mouth.

"Oh, God!" I breathed as he started to pepper ginger kisses down the column of my throat.

"You're so fucking beautiful, Isabella Swan." My heart didn't feel to be in any pain as it usually did; like Edward was its cure. But I knew I couldn't get over my head here. It would be a bad idea to fall for him again and my heart couldn't take being broken by him a second time.

But for now I didn't care.

He rolled himself above me and my hands roamed the defined planes of his shirtless chest. I wasn't the only one that had filled out in all the right places.

His hands roamed up and down my sides and hesitantly found their way to cupping my breasts, causing my back to arch slightly. We kissed with more fervor and pressed our bodies together in delicious ways.

The storm was still rumbling lowly in the distance but my attention was too occupied with feeling the amazing sensations running through it. He moved back to my side as he started to unbutton my pajama top, looking into my eyes the entire time like he was waiting for me to stop him.

I should be stopping him. But I wouldn't...I couldn't.

I sat up letting him push it back off of my arms before throwing it off the bed.

Humphrey huffed and I figured he was now wearing it.

Edward sat up and pulled me over his lap, pulling me close and burying his lips between my now bare breasts; my head fell back at the contact.

"Holy shit!" I gasped as he took one of my nipples into his warm mouth and swirled his tongue across the tip. He smiled into me and I ground my hips down hard onto his erection and he growled at me in gratitude. He used his other hand to palm my lonely breast while he kept the other one firmly in his mouth. I circled my hips along his length and he threw his head back moaning more.

"Fuck, Bella!" He seemed shocked at my behavior but then I remembered the last time we were in this kind of position.

It was new to both of us.

Now though, I had a feeling we'd both learned a few new tricks since then.

He pushed me down and climbed back above me reaching his hand towards my treasure. At first he was content to rub over the fabric covering me but soon got frustrated and made quick work of removing my lower garments. He buried his face into my hair as he ran his fingers over my soaked core.

"Shit!" He groaned when he realized he'd made me so wet.

His mouth found my skin again and started to trail kisses down my body; leaving me with goose bumps all up my arms.

"Oh God! Edward!" I bit my lip as I felt his mouth close around the bud of my heat. "Fuck!"

He chuckled at my reaction and the vibrations sent me soaring.

He moved slightly and allowed his tongue to swipe widely across my hot flesh and I shuddered at the feeling. I'd had this done to me before but with nowhere near as much skill as Edward had. He only had to flick his tongue in one spot and I grew wetter by the second while moaning his name.

His movement increased in pace and I could feel the tell tale building tension in my stomach… this was so much more than I'd ever had. I grabbed his hair and couldn't help the need to push him into me more. He pushed his fingers into me too and I exploded with no further need for his actions. My eyes rolled back and my body arched up off the bed.

"UUUUUUUNNNGGHHHHH EDWARD!" I panted as he waited for me to come completely down before moving from his spot between my legs.

"You ok?" He asked worriedly.

Why the fuck would he be worried?

"Are you kidding me? Fuck Edward. How hard did you want to make me come?" My chest heaved as he smiled at me.

"Well because the thunder has turned up its volume again?" He glanced to the window.

"Is it still thundering? Fuck you're good. I hadn't heard any of it for a while." I smirked back up at him.

"Do you have any idea how much of a turn on it was hearing all those profanities coming out of your mouth while I was doing that?"

"Huh...Hot you say...? Well my mouth does other things that might turn you on too." I bit my lip and his eyebrows shot up as I pushed him back; pulling his pants off in one quick swoop.

"Holy shit fuck!" He growled as I took him between my lips.

Oh yeah! He'd definitely grown in places too.

He lifted his head to watch me and I knew I had to make this good. I'd never done this to him before and I wanted him to enjoy it. I used my hand at his base as an aid and lowered my mouth around him, applying a little suction to begin with, increasing my pace and vacuum.

"Bella...uuunggghhhh...God, Bella!" His eyes became hooded as he struggled to keep them open to watch me. His hand brushed my hair back off my face and he held it out of my way while I continued my ministrations on him.

I could feel him starting to twitch and his hands tried to pull me away but I stayed put. His breathing came in pants and his eyes were screwed tightly shut as my name and a string of profanities escaped his lips and his come escaped into my mouth.

"FFFFUUUUCCCCCKKKK!" It was his body's turn to lift off the bed and writhe like he'd made mine.

I swallowed everything he gave me as he slowly came back down from his high.

"I've waited a long time to do that to you." I offered.

"Wow! Fuck I mean...WOW! I should never have stopped you last time when you wanted to..." He chuckled.

I giggled as he rolled us over and stalked above me with hungry eyes. He leaned down and kissed me with a new passion and I allowed our tongues to dance again while reveling in the feeling of his hands on my skin.

Apparently grown up Edward didn't take long to recover either, because his 'contentment' was once again ready and waiting.

He looked down into my eyes and an emotion I'd never seen in him stared back at me but I had no idea what it was, just that it made me want to cry. Of course I didn't.

"I want you, Edward," I breathed as we kept our gaze locked. He smiled and lowered himself to me and gently pushed open my legs with his own. He settled between them again but took a moment to kiss me. After a moment he pushed into me and my toes fucking curled...I shit you not!

"Uuunnghhhh Edward." I groaned as I dug my finger nails into his shoulders, making him hiss.

"Fuck you feel even better than I remembered," He panted as he withdrew and ploughed into me again.

Every thrust sent me higher and higher.

"Edward, I need you to fuck me harder! Please?" No sooner had the words left my mouth he propelled himself with more force and I raised my hips up to match his thrusts.

"Fuck Bella you keep cursing like that and I'm not going to be able to keep this up much longer! UUuuungghhhhhh!" His body was glistening with beads of sweat; his hair damp and his skin flushed to match any of my blushes and I could feel the heat radiating between us. His body grew tenser as did mine.

"Fuck Edward! FUCKING HOLY HELL...SHIT!"I screamed like I had never screamed before under the influence of a man. I'd never let myself go with anyone before, not even with him our first time.

"UUUUNGGGHHHHHHHHHHH BELLA! SHIT I CAN'T HOLD IT ANY LONGER THANKS TO YOUR FUCKING DIRTY MOUTH!"

That was it, I exploded internally. I screamed his name over and over while he shuddered above me until he'd given everything he had to give. My body continued to shake and writhe as I came down too. I didn't just feel the fucking earth move...the whole God damn universe just exploded around me.

"Never has there been such sweet music to my ears than hearing you come and scream my name." He panted as he moved back to his spot behind me, pulling me close to him once more and holding me until we both fell to sleep.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Bella's POV

I woke up to a cold winter sky greeting me from the window and birds singing a sweet song...It was fucking horrible.

I'd slept better than I had in over five years and didn't get haunted of my past for once.

The morning however felt a bit like a fucking Disney movie. Birds singing by my window...well rested...Waking up feeling spry.

All that was missing was my price charming walking in and serenading me.

But I was too far gone to believe in a fairy tale.

Edward had already got up and I don't know whether it was in the night or just before I woke up but he wasn't here now.

I'd been such a fucking wreck with the storm yesterday and he'd been so sweet. He'd stayed with me.

We'd also had sex and that was where my dilemma lay.

He wasn't here looking all gooey eyed and shit at me so I wasn't sure where I stood now.

I'm not naive enough to think that everything was fixed or that we'd pick up from where we left off. Hell, I wasn't even sure I'd want that.

I lay in bed thinking about the night that had passed and couldn't help but feel warmth spread through me. I had to push that away...I had my rules after all, right?

I still didn't want to risk getting my heart broken.

But something told me that it was inevitable.

I got up and showered; listening to him move around the place while the water cascaded over my hair and body.

I could feel myself start trembling with nerves at the prospect of being in the same room as him.

I decided that due to the big changes about to occur in my life, it probably wasn't the best idea to even risk getting involved with anyone, let alone Edward.

I'd accepted a teaching post in Phoenix a few weeks ago and was leaving on Christmas Eve, flying back to the place I had once called home. I wanted to try and spend more time with my mother even though things weren't the most ideal. She still felt guilty about my leaving before.

She wasn't the only reason for the change. I was an independent, strong minded woman and Arizona offered a lot more opportunities than a small town school ever could.

I would be sad to say good bye to my life in Port Angeles, but I had nothing to keep me here and I was ready for a change in my life.

I took my time getting ready for work; throwing on another dark pencil skirt and a button down fitted blue shirt. I pulled my hair up into a neat bun and put on the boots I had worn yesterday.

Edward was in the kitchen when I finally surfaced from my room. He was lost in his thoughts; staring out of the window but not actually seeing anything.

"Mind if I get some of that?" I asked, hoping not to startle him. The thought provoked my hostile tendencies towards him and I chuckled silently at the thought of him jumping, and sending his cup contents flying everywhere.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were up yet. Sure help yourself." He continued to stare out the window.

God, I hope he didn't feel obligated about shit.

I stood there for a minute longer feeling like a spare part. He said nothing to me and not once did he glance in my direction.

The silence was deafening and his distance an all too familiar reminder of why I couldn't let this become anything.

I went into the sitting room and walked over to the window in there and thought about how different my view would be in a few weeks. Snow covered the ground here and helped to make it feel festive. In Phoenix it would be a different story. The heat would be stifling and the Christmas trees were never as lush green as what I had grown used to.

I was disturbed out of my thoughts by gentle notes of music filling the room.

I turned to see him sat at his piano. His fingers flowed effortlessly over the ebony and ivory keys.

**Edward's POV**

Bella was still sleeping peacefully when I woke up.

I'd looked down at her in awe.

She was so beautiful...But when she was asleep she was even more angelic. However, after last night and all her cursing…I'd never be able to look at her as my once sweet and innocent Isabella Swan ever again.

Not that I minded. I liked this Bella. She was confident and not afraid to ask for what she wanted. When she'd asked me to fuck her harder I'd almost lost it then; and that fucking dirty tongue... Great! Now I was once again rock hard!

My dirty mind automatically thought about waking her up by rolling her over and...

I really had to get up now before it got to be too much and I'd have to tend to it myself.

I showered and dressed, ready for work and was stood in the kitchen making some coffee. I stood looking out at the world and wondered if anyone else fought against their minds as I did.

Last night had been incredible. The first time we'd slept together was special and sweet and amazing because of all that, but last night...last night was off the chart.

But she'd said she never got involved anymore and I was the reason for it in the first place. I hated that I'd made her feel unable to have a relationship with anyone; but at the same time I liked the thought that I was the only person to ever have her love, even if I had blown it big time.

I didn't hear her enter the room until she spoke but my mind was still so fixed on what had happened that I acted like the regular ass I was, and didn't even look at her as I answered.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were up yet. Sure help you're self." I was so lost in thought that I didn't even realize she'd left the room again.

Shit!

Now she's going to think I don't give a shit, when truthfully I did, more than I should.

That was my dilemma.

All the shit I'd repressed over the last five years came seeping out and was in danger of drowning me. The annoying thing was...I still wasn't sure.

I'd stayed true to my word and never told any woman that I loved them if I hadn't meant it whole heartedly. Needless to say I had still yet to utter those three little words to anyone.

Maybe we were more alike than we thought.

I had relationships of sorts but I finished things when they started to get too clingy. Truth was they weren't what I was looking for or needed.

Tanya had taken it that we were a couple from the first time I met her, she'd even started shouting at me like an idiot when I failed to mention I was going to the bathroom only thirty minutes after meeting her. I put a stop to that shit before it even started. Unfortunately though, somehow she'd gotten my number and would call every once in a while and would leave messages for me like she was my girlfriend, telling me about her day and shit. I wasn't quite sure how she'd got Alice's number though.

I'd have to do something about her.

I'd got to the point where I never wanted to go home anymore, so when Alice asked me to house sit I jumped at the chance. I preferred it over here anyway, I had my piano.

It had proven to be a good decision in the end because it led to last night. Every thought in my head turned to Bella; how she smelled, how she tasted, how she felt around me, how perfect she was in that blissful moment when she came screaming my name.

A melody suddenly started to play over in my head and I rushed into the other room to write it down.

I didn't see her in the corner as I slid onto the stool in front of baby grand.

My fingers started to stroke the keys and the room filled with the foreign piece, invoking sensuality and eroticism. I let all the things she made me feel seep into the music and sighed when I felt her sit beside me. I hoped she'd be able to here the story behind the melody. I hoped she'd realize she was the inspiration, the motivation.

"I believe I failed to wish you a good morning." I smiled as I turned to face her while my hands caressed the keys.

She seemed like she was getting turned on by something, but I shook the thought away.

"Don't worry about it." She bit her lip.

Was I right?

"Well… regardless, good morning, Bella."

"Good morning, Edward." She breathed back. "That's a beautiful piece you're playing, what is it? I don't think I've heard it before."

"It's new, this is the first time I've played it. I've never heard it before either." I chuckled at the notion.

"This is yours? As in...yours?" She looked at me in awe and I felt extremely humbled.

I simply nodded.

"Edward! This is incredible!" She closed her eyes and let my music overtake her just as I had done; gaining more inspiration from her by the second.

My fingers started to slow and lingered on the final note.

When I turned to look at her she had tears in her eyes. As one fell silently down her cheek I wiped it away with my thumb and the rest of my hand cupped her face.

I became extraordinarily grateful that her landlord had a fat ass and hadn't sorted out her heating problem. I was glad too that the desire to be rid of her had subsided but I would still have to be careful.

"Shit!" She jumped up and looked at her watch. "SHIT!"

"What is it?" I asked smirking at her as she suddenly flailed around.

"I'm going to be fucking late for work! And I haven't even taken Humphrey out! SHIT!"

"Don't worry about the mop, I'll take him and be careful if you keep fucking spinning around so fast you're bound to take off." I laughed as she glared at me.

And… there's the shrew.

"It's not FUNNY!" Her arms flew in different directions as she tried to remember what the fuck she still had to do.

"You're right, it's not funny...It's fucking hysterical." My laughter had me cradling my sides in pain.

"Fuck you Cullen!" she spat, but there was a twinkle in her eyes that meant she'd taken it lightly, as it was intended.

She managed to compose herself and headed for the door.

"Bella...Last night was amazing." I couldn't help it. Neither of us had mentioned it since getting up and even though I wasn't sure what it was that had happened or what it meant, I felt I couldn't let things pass without telling her that.

"Yeah...It was." She smiled back and turned to leave.

"Bella…" I knew she'd be getting frustrated now but I hadn't lost the urge to taunt her completely; besides I knew she'd not finished taking the piss out of me either.

"Yeah?" She started tapping her foot and I grinned like an idiot.

"Have a good day," I chuckled, and she gave me the evil eye.

"I'll try...if I ever get there!" Her tongue spat acidly.

I waited until it was nearly closed.

"Bella." I knew what was coming this time.

"FUCK OFF CULLEN!"

"And there it is!" I almost sang to myself; happy that targets to tease had been met...For now at least.


	12. Chapter 11

**Ok so getting to a hundred reviews was plausible after all! Thank you sooooo much...now let's see if we can keep up the momentum again? 125? 130? Mweehhh we'll see...Will it help if I tell you there's lemons in this here chapter????**

**Seriously though thank you to you all.**

**I was worried how chapter 11 would be received but it seemed to go down well...*thinks about Edward going down...**slaps self round face* Damn those dirty thoughts! Damn his hotness! Damn those bare chested New Moon pic's!**

**Chapter 11**

Bella's POV

I couldn't get the melody Edward had played out of my head.

After waking up feeling awkward and unsure of how things would be between us; I now felt more at ease.

Last night had been incredible and the fact that he'd told me that this morning as I left...made me feel all warm and fuzzy. I was pretty sure he hadn't assumed anything from it and that was good for me. Maybe we were grown up and responsible enough to just take things as they were...Maybe while I was still here we could just have a bit of fun.

My mind and heart battled at the thought.

My heart knew better and that I would wind up in a place I didn't want to be...Broken and destroyed...Wasting my life stuck in a pit of unrequited love.

But my head fought to be able to feel the way he had made me feel last night again.

I listened to my head...like a fool.

I'd been teaching the same lesson through the entire morning to three different classes and was still enthusiastic about the material.

"Ok so what have we learned from this chapter?" I turned from the board to face a group of very frustrated looking teenager's. "No one? Ok...In this chapter we first get to hear Heathcliff speak for a while, and it is worth noting how his language differs from the narrators we have heard so far. He is more expressive...emotional than the other two..."

I continued to analyze chapter six and as the lesson progressed they soon warmed up and started to participate. Most of them would look confused, so I tried to convey it to modern day alternatives...using characters that they could picture and relate to. Once we'd embraced it using that method, they were soon in the flow and time passed quickly as hands shot up all around the class room.

"See...It's not as bad as you expected right?" I smiled smugly as they nodded and made remarks about the characters behavior to each other.

I decided to let them have the last ten minutes to talk quietly amongst them selves as we'd covered everything needed and they'd took notice with minimal disruption.

I sat at my desk up front and rummaged through my purse; looking for my keycard to me into the teacher's lounge.

"Shit!" I mouthed when I realized I'd left it in my car.

"Hey Miss Swan?" One of the boys tried to get my attention.

"Yes Michael?" I looked up to see him smirking as his friends nudged each other with their elbows.

"I was just wondering if you had plans tonight." Was he seriously trying to ask a teacher out?

"You're treading a very thin line Mr. Williams" I warned.

"Just thought I'd ask...It was worth a shot." He shrugged as his buddies laughed at him.

"I'm flattered." I added but made sure I kept a strict demeanor about me.

"Yeah like she'd even be interested in you anyway fool!" One of the girls hollered from the back causing a raucous to erupt.

"OOOOOoooohhh dude!"

Just then one of the other girls chimed up. "Oh my God! How hot is HE?"

She was looking towards the door with a bunch of her friends; obviously seeing something she liked. I turned to look to out of curiosity, only to find Edwards face at the little window smiling at me. My cheeks suddenly felt enflamed and it didn't go unnoticed by my class.

"Miss Swan you lucky girl! Is he here for you?" Kaitlin Drier called out.

"That's enough thank you!" I tried to compose myself again as the bell sounded and they all started vacating their seat and filing out.

"Hold up guys! Homework assignments!" This was my parting gift to my, now groaning, students. "Read chapters seven through to ten and take notes...We'll be taking an in-depth look into the minds of both leading characters!" I added as Edward slid into the room and past the girls that had been admiring him through the glass.

"Hi" He smiled.

"Hey...What are you doing here?" I asked incredulously.

I didn't let him answer though before I heard one of the boys cursing in my class room.

"Mr. Johnson!" I called strictly. "Do you think that it's appropriate to be using language like that in my class room?"

Edward's eyebrows lifted at the tone in my voice.

"No Ma'am." I could tell he was trying to hold back from laughing but school policy was to discipline students for using foul language in school so I couldn't let it go.

"No. My I suggest that if you want to avoid getting a detention that you watch your mouth in future. I trust that you heard your homework assignment?" I was stood with my arms folded over my chest glaring at him, but still managed to notice Edward shifting in his spot just off to my side.

"Yes Ma'am." He looked a little more serious now. He was on the football team and he'd already been in his share of trouble already and we were only the first semester in to the academic year. If he kept up at this rate he'd be off the team by Easter.

"Ok...I don't want to have to tell you about this again! Got it? Good now get out of here." He managed to smile before leaving, knowing that my bark was worse than my bite.

I walked behind him to the door and closed it once he'd stepped out.

Edward was unexpectedly behind me with his hands holding my hips to him; his mouth by my ear.

"Fuck Bella...I've never heard you being all strict before." He pushed against my back and I couldn't miss the effect my tone had had on him.

I shivered as he ran his nose down my exposed throat.

Yes...We could have this....right? I wanted this; to feel him...to touch him.

"You have no idea how much hearing you talk like that just turned me on!" He breathed as his hand wrapped around me and found its way under my shirt.

Yes we could definitely have this!

But I could make it more fun too.

I turned around and slapped his face. His hand shot up to rub his cheek as his eye's widened at my actions.

"You, Mr. Cullen are walking a very fine line!" I spoke as I had to the boy that had just left; turning back around to lock the door. "I've never had a student with such consistently bad grades...You're rude...Disruptive and lazy and I'm tired of your lip! I'm afraid I have no choice but to give you an 'F' for this class"

He seemed to twig on to what I was doing. He leaned in to within an inch of my face.

"Like. I. Give. A. Fuck!" He growled.

"If you plan on ever graduating Mr. Cullen...that is EXACTLY what you'll do!" I Brushed passed him making sure that my breasts grazed his arm as I went to sit on my desk. He turned slowly before striding over and grabbing my hips; pulling me so our bodies collided in a wonderful burst of friction.

My hands found there way to his hair and I grabbed it in handfuls; pulling him down to me and savoring him wholly.

"So I have to fuck you if I want my grades to improve?" He asked incredulously.

"For a start...But then it just depends if you satisfy me or not." I smirked as he bit his lip; his eyes were filled with lust and excitement. "I have a class in half fifteen minutes Edward...I suggest you don't waste anymore of my time." I sat looking bored; knowing he'd not be able to resist.

He pulled me back up and shoved my skirt up around my waist before dropping to his knees and sliding my panties slowly down my legs; I was very grateful that my classroom was on the first floor and not overlooked. He lifted me up until my ass was just perched on the edge of the table and brought his lips to my centre.

"Oh fuck!" My head instantly fell back from the elicit contact between us. My hands shot backwards to steady myself. His tongue expertly probed my heated flesh before he flattened it out against me and covered me with long strokes.

"Oh oh!" I panted as I felt the fire starting to rage through me as he started to add his fingers into the equation and my god were they filled with magic.

I wanted to scream and shout out in pleasure but had to remind myself where I was.

My body started to shake and I nearly fell of the edge of the desk but Edward's strong arms stopped me and held me in place as I came pushing my hips onto him more and letting his name rolling off my tongue.

"So...about my grades?" He smirked as he rose to his feet and molded his lips to my throat instead lavishing me with open mouthed kisses against my skin.

I was so fucking dizzy I could hardly concentrate. "I think I've seen an improvement Mr. Cullen but not nearly enough." I made a grab for his belt and quickly fumbled with the clasp before releasing his painfully incarcerated length.

He groaned as the cool air enveloped his very apparent aroused dick. I took a minute to slide him between my grasping hand and he bit his lip and groaned in approval.

"The clock is ticking Edward...If you don't satisfy me before the next bell then I'm afraid your grade will have to stand." I rubbed my legs together; hoping to cause a little much needed friction but before I had to try too hard he'd grabbed me, pulled me towards him and buried himself deep within my warmth. The sudden change caused us both to moan and grab for each other. His mouth crashed to mine and immediately his tongue sought refuge with mine. I led him in with my own tongue and marveled at his sweetness. His hands shot up to unbutton my shirt as his mouth moved again to my throat. As he opened a button he'd move his mouth to the freshly exposed skin, pushing me back against the flat surface with his forehead. The shift in angle meant he could go deeper and my back arched in appreciation. His mouth was busying itself with my breasts as he gripped my hips so he could push into my better.

"EDWARD! Oh my god EDWARD! FUCK!" I was in danger of starting to shrill like a banshee.

He stood himself back upright while I stayed laid out there on the desk in front of him, allowing him to plough into me at his convenience.

"SWEET...FUCKING...JESUS...EDDDWWAAARRRDDDDD!" I growled as my orgasm overtook me completely.

"Fuck Bella! There you go again with that vocabulary of yours! FUUUCCCCCCCKKKKKK! He groan too as I felt him spill into me. He rested his body on mine for a minute while we caught our breaths.

"Ok...That...definitely...warrants...an 'A' plus!" I giggled as he finally shifted himself. He held out his hand to help me off of my back and all he could do was grin stupidly.

"I seriously hope Mr. Cullen that your grades continue to be bad and that you need to make them up!"

"You mean we can do this again?" His asked with a smile and I got the impression he wasn't just talking about our little role playing session now.

**ERM...........I need a cold shower...........Be nice if Edward could JOIN me lol.**

**So I figured that maybe they could have a little FUN before she leaves for Arizona, what you think? Bit more citrus fun? **

**Let me know what you thought about it all anyway.**

**Reviews encourage me to write more...**

**Love you all...Next chapter up when you show me the love.**


	13. Chapter 12

**Well hello again! *waves* How've you all been? I've been busy again writing...cos I love it sooooo much! So we liked the lemon in the last chapter yes? Well how about another one? **

**Yes that's right two in two chapters!!!!!!! You know what I'm like when I start writing one peeps.**

**Or you do if you've read 'Something for the Weekend' lol.**

**Anyway...on with the por...show hehehehe**

**Chapter 12**

Edward's POV

I'd gone to the school Bella taught at with the hope maybe she'd want to grab some lunch together but I definitely got more than I bargained for!

My dick instantly reacted to her when she scolded that guy from her class.

How could it not...I'd fantasised about that little scenario since I found out she'd decided to be a teacher...Even though we'd stopped being friends at the time and I hated her like I did...She never stopped being the focus in my fantasies.

That was the good thing about having Alice as my sister. She'd remained best friends with Bella and I discretely got to find out what she was up to all the time and like I said...When I found out about the teaching thing I got a new source of fuel for my dirty little mind.

Seeing her stood there in that tight little skirt and blouse...Her hair pinned up and her arms folded over her breasts...And that fucking authoritarian tone of hers...fuck! It was like she'd peered into my mind and plucked it straight out. The reality of it though had proven to be so much more.

My head was clouded as I headed back to my Volvo so I could head back to Alice's place. I had a half day and was planning on surfing the net for last minute presents.

Should I get Bella something now?

I don't know.

We weren't a couple or anything but she'd definitely hinted to spending more time together in the biblical sense.

Anyway that had been the plan...But now my head filled with other things I'd dreamed of doing to Bella Swan.

Wrongly one of them was to get her drunk. Not for sexual reasons...even I had standards and would never get someone drunk to sleep with them; that would be a low thing I would never do.

But I did want to see her let her hair down...figuratively speaking; to see her laugh and have fun.

I also wanted to return the favour from in her class room. She had unknowingly brought to life one of my fantasies and now I wanted to do the same for her.

I new she'd never just simply blurt one out so easily without embarrassment; so code name 'get Bella intoxicated' would be my only way to find out her deepest sexual desires.

I thought about that for a moment.

Bella Swan and Sexual desires in the same sentence...I couldn't help but grin at the notion; more to the point...smile...that I wanted to find out what those desires were and be the one to deliver them to her.

I stopped of at the liquor store and bought a bottle of Disarono, an amaretto based drink that sat well on the rocks.

I bought ice too.

When I'd made it home I quickly grabbed some craft card out of Alice's stash and cut out squares. Once I'd done all the cutting, I took a sharpie and started to write questions on one side.

My last Job was to call for take out fifteen minutes before she was due to stumble back in.

When Bella finally made it home she was drenched like I had been the day before. The rain was pouring down in buckets and had long since washed away all traces of the snow that had fallen the week before.

She was cold, wet and shivering enough to break her teeth.

Part of me wanted to taunt her and have her hate me again, but the bigger part filled with concern that she might get sick, so I grabbed her a towel and handed it to her before going to run her a warming shower.

She smiled appreciatively and used the heat in the water to relieve her tense muscles.

The entire time she was in there I wanted to go and offer her a hand...quite literally. But I pushed the thought from my mind and concentrated on putting out the food that had just been delivered.

"MMmmm something smells good." Her soft voice crept from the other door.

Fuck me!

When she came into view she was wearing a small pair of denim shorts and a red tank top; her hair was damp and still clinging to the side of her face.

I walked over and brushed it aside.

"Thanks." She blushed at my gesture

"I figured you'd be hungry after your 'busy day' I smirked as our eyes met.

Fuck I wanted to have her come home to me every night.

What?

I turned back to the food and finished plating it up.

"You still like Italian right?" Shit I didn't even think she might hate it now when I ordered.

"You remembered." She walked behind me and put her hands on my shoulders as she peered around me to see what was on the menu.

Me!

If she wanted me...

Whenever she wanted me.

Maybe food would be involved in her fantasies...Fuck it was in mine now!

"So how was the rest of your day?" That was ok to ask right? It wasn't too much like a couple kind of thing to do? It was acceptable dinner conversation.

"Urgh...It steadily went down hill after you left." Her face flushed with colour when she no doubt thought back over to my visit as she speared another piece of chicken tortellini and put it into her mouth. I little sauce dripped down her chin and I wanted nothing more than to clear the table in one jump and lick it off.

She was going to drive me crazy!

"Well I know it's a school night but..." I passed her a tumbler of ice and the amber coloured liquor.

"Mmmm Thank's." She greedily took the glass and sipped at its contents. "Fuck that's good."

I smiled as my mission started off seamlessly.

"Ok so this game is called tell me..." I smirked knowingly

"When it's you're turn you have to pick a card from off the floor." I indicated to the spaced out makeshift squares that hid there questions underneath them, sprawled out between us. "Each card has a question...You have to answer that question or you can chose to use a veto like in truth or dare...Ok?" She seemed to be following...And I was glad because I'd made this shit up on the way home and I wasn't even sure I understood it. "The catch is that if you use you're veto...You have to take a shot ok?"

"Bring it on!" She rubbed her hands together.

"Ok...Ladies first?" I offered her first pick. The questions were aimed at her...thing's I'd like to find out about her but they could prove just as embarrassing for me to pick up too.

She picked a card by my knee "That one."

"Ok...Tell me...where the most unusual place you have ever had sex?" This was a shot for sure!

"Um..." She looked a little bashful before she blurted out her answer. "Ok so that would be...oh god...just pick one Bell's..."

One?

Fuck!

Maybe this game was doomed to fail!

"Well I once had sex in Dean's office in college" She blushed at her admission.

"Are you serious?" I asked incredulously.

"Me and this guy named Jake had been dared to do it...We were drunk and well let's just say...I now know how to pick a lock." She covered her face with her hands.

Ok maybe hope wasn't completely lost!

"Your turn!" She beamed.

I picked a card and she furrowed her eyebrows "Tell me... how many people you have ever had sex with? I think there's a theme occurring here Mr. Cullen."

Rumbled already?

I counted mentally before answering honestly. "Thirteen...not including you."

She looked taken a back.

Fuck.

"What?" I asked nervously.

"Nothing! I just...thought it would be more than that." She shrugged.

Shit! She didn't think that thirteen people were a lot?

We continued for the best part of an hour and we'd both had three shots each when she picked the golden question.

"Tell me...Something you've always wanted to do sexually?" I smirked; glad I changed my mind from picking the very same card up two turns ago.

"Like a fantasy?" She giggled.

I just grinned at her widely.

"I think I'll take another shot." She made a grab for the bottle but I moved it behind my back and she gave me a confused glance.

"Why? It's not a bad question...AND you've already answered more 'challenging' ones. I quipped as my tongue started to feel a little numb down the sides.

"Edward, come on...Please?" She begged but I wasn't giving up quite so easily.

I pouted and crawled over to her on my hands and knees while scattering all the cards from under me. It didn't matter after this because it was the only answer I'd truly been seeking.

I nudged her head to the side and pushed her hair back with my nose. She tilted her head to let me in more while she sighed. I touched my lips to her skin and she gasped; giving me and instant erection.

I covered her with my body and we tumbled down with me falling on top of her. Her hands shot into my hair and our mouths crashed together.

"You...still haven't...answered the...question yet Bella." I breathed as I devoured her.

She turned her head to the side and bit her lip and I followed her gaze. She was coyly eyeing up my piano.

"Oh!" I grinned when I realised what she was getting at.

My mind raced back to another one of the movie night's we'd shared and again it had been her choice. It had been pretty woman that time and even though it bored me stupid I remembered her shifting...no...Squirming...next to me on the couch.

I didn't need to know anymore.

Game over.

We spent ages rolling around that floor before going to bed that night; though we didn't have sex...We just made out...A lot! And when we did go to bed...She went to the guest room and I went to my sister's; after we'd both taken a very tipsy walk with Humphrey.

I did how ever wake up in the night and head out to my piano.

I started to play from the heart again and swiftly filled the room with sweet music that enveloped everything that was Isabella Swan.

My playing had the desired effect too because after a few minutes she stepped out of her room rubbing her eyes in protest.

Fuck if I didn't have a hard on before...I did now.

She came out wearing a very snug, red pair of lacy panties and a white tank top. That seemed to stop just before her belly button. Her hair was a haystack but fuck did she look hot.

"Edward! It's fucking two in the morning! What kind of fucked up shit are you trying to pull?"

She walked over to my side and I pulled here in front of me with her back against the keys while I continued to play.

I knew a piano like the back of my hand and I didn't need to see the keys to created music...Plus I wanted to hear her music more.

While my fingers caressed the keys I pressed my nose to her abdomen...taking in her floral scent deeply; I could get drunk on that alone. My lips brushed against her supple skin and kissed there way around her stomach. I smiled into her when her hands roamed into my hair. This was easier than I thought it would be.

But this wouldn't be much of a fantasy for her if all I did was kiss her like this. My hands moved to grab her hips and pull her to me forcefully causing her to gasp and moan as I moved the focus of my lips up her body and between the peeks of her breasts; nuzzling her top up with my nose to allow me contact with her bare flesh. Her back arched as I lifted her unto the keys causing little bursts of plinking noses to ring thought the apartment. My hands continued to grasp her sides as my mouth left a trail all over her...I stood up; knocking the stool over from behind me in my need to feel more of her. It crashed to the floor as my body slammed into hers as we became a mass of groping and wildly grasping hands

My hair was all over the place as her haystack grew. My tongue wanted to taste the sweetness of her throat and my lips hungrily took what they needed. I nibbled and suckled in the spot under her ear and she moaned while she pushed and pulled me to her by my hair.

I couldn't help but marvel at the rather deep purple bruise I'd left her. My hands travelled south over the warm planes of her stomach before probing further to those hot fucking panties. I dipped into the top with my hands and dove to feel her heat.

She was beyond wet and if this was what creating her dreams got me then fuck I wanted to play my fabricated game again to find out more...I wanted to know EVERY one of her little wants and needs...I wanted to do this to her for ever.

"Fuck Bella" I growled.

"Uungghhhh edward!" She panted as I worked her with my hand. I hooked my fingers around to find out if I could get lucky again and find the prize winning spot I once found when we were younger.

"OH FUCK!" He growled as her back arched forcefully and her hips jerked wildly

BINGO!

"OHGODEDDDWWWAAAARRRDDDD!" Her shoulders were so far back that they rested on the top of the piano and she grabbed the sides for support.

I didn't wait to let her catch her breath before I stripped off my pyjama shorts and brought our bodies together. With one thrust I was fully embedded within her causing her to jump slightly away from me; I grabbed her hips and pulled her back down onto me. I cupped my hands under her tight ass after that and used my upper arm strength to lift her along the length of my dick instead of me pumping into her.

Every now and again the keys would play their dysfunctional tune as her ass would catch them as I helped her ride me.

"FUCK ...I...OH GOD..." She grabbed at her hair as her breathing became laboured and I felt the tell tale clamping of her muscles start to get stronger...She was close.

I started moving faster and she started screeched and cursed as she let go completely. I followed her example and came fucking hard within her. My mind swam as my body lost control.

"UUUUuuunnngggghhhhhhhhhhhh Bella...Bella BELLLLLAAAAA!"

Our motions slowed and my chest swelled with something I wasn't used to feeling.

"Edward!" She grasped at my face and kissed me fiercely, begging me to take her tongue and caress it with my own. I couldn't deny her and allowed my mouth to lock with hers.

This time we did go back to bed together and she fell to sleep within my arms again...This time though I planned on being there when she woke up.

**SOOOOOOO.**

**Yeah!**

**Anyway.**

**Two again in one day**

**Show me the love and you get updates...see...simple.**

**Please review...PLEASE**


	14. Chapter 13

**Sigh...you guys just...SIGH.**

**YEY! 125 wasn't a stretch after all lol.**

**Anyway Thank you soooo much for all the lovely things you put and for letting me know what you thought of classroom and piano sex...............*Has had to nip for another cold shower at the sheer thought off the for mentioned activities*............*Is back* So........**

**Chapter 13**

Bella's POV

I was dreaming...I had to be.

I dreamt that Edward had been playing his piano and when I went to see what he was doing, we...Oh god it wasn't a dream!

I kept my eyes closed tight as I lay there enveloped in the only arms I ever wanted to be in.

I thought back to last night...or more precisely the early hours of this morning.

I'd lost count of how many times I'd imagined having Edward Cullen taking me over his piano. We'd watched Pretty woman on one of our movie nights when we were in high school...before we slept together...and I'd managed to get a little hot at the part where she searched for him in the hotel; finally finding him in the lounge playing that beautiful back grand piano...I hadn't been able to sit still for the ache that had grown between my legs after watching him take her on it.

I decided that all that stuff with the drinking game had been a ploy...but I didn't know why and didn't care...Fuck it one of the hottest things ever to have happen to me.

Edward let out a sigh and I turned myself around to face him...expecting him to be awake. He was still sleeping and I couldn't help grinning like a fool at the fact he was still here. I couldn't help being taken back to the morning after our first time and how peaceful he'd looked then too; of course things changed after that and everything we had got destroyed by us being too immature and responsible enough to just talk about what happened and how we felt...We'd managed to talk about doing it in the first place so surly the hardest conversation way out of the way.

His arms pulled me in closer and he buried his head under mine before taking a deep nose full of air.

"MMmmmmm...You smell good enough to eat." He whispered as he nuzzled around until he could kiss my throat.

The second his nose touched me, goose bumps raised up the full length of my arms.

"I think you're still drunk!" I chuckled as I regained some sanity. My eyelids were fluttering at record speed as his mouth opened and closed against my skin.

"Drunk...? Me...? Never!"

We lay there for a while longer before reluctantly getting up; we both had work after all and Humphrey had waited longer than he should to go out too, the poor little thing ran to the nearest hydrant and you could almost hear his relief...If dogs could sigh.

I had to raid Alice's clothes to find a turtle neck, to cover the huge hicky that almost shone like a beacon on my neck, so no one at school would see it.

Before I new it...it was Friday and I couldn't wait for school to be done for the weekend.

But then that meant Alice would be back tomorrow.

I bit my lip at the thought of having to explain the reason for my presence at her place...but more concerned how I was doing to explain the fact that I'd been there the same time as Edward and managed not to kill him...

'Oh yeah by the way Alice, I've been staying over at your place because my heating broken and you're annoying brother made me...Oh and I let him fuck me all over you're apartment too...and you're Ficus died because he pissed on it.'

Luckily the Ficus hadn't withered and die...Or any of the others he'd watered for that matter.

I'd just got into my car ready to drive home when my cell rang.

"Bella Swan." I answered courteously.

"Miss Swan...Hey it's Garrett." My land lord...oh joy what crap was he going to come up with this time. "I just thought I'd call you to let you know you're heating is all fixed up and you're good to go.

Oh.

"Great. Thank you."

I huffed at the thought of going back to my place after spending so much time with Edward; I had the feeling that even though it would be toasty warm...It would feel cold at the same time.

I was packing up my stuff when He got in from work.

"Bella?" He called and I heard his keys hit the table by the door.

"I'm in here." I shouted back to him.

"Hey do you want to..." He spoke as he walked towards the guest room only to stop when he saw what I was doing. "..Wait...What are you doing?" He looked at the bag in front of me on the bed and smiled nervously.

"My heating's fixed." I answered as I continued to load up my stuff.

"Oh..." A mixture of emotions crossed his face and I couldn't read any of them except one.

Disappointment.

I walked past him and out to the bathroom while he turned himself in the door way to watch.

"Do you have to go now? I mean...tonight?" He asked. He looked like a little boy that had been told he couldn't have his favourite toy back. His eyebrows pulled together and I swear he pouted.

"There's no reason to put it off...I mean..." I shrugged as I thought about how I had become his toy... he was my toy...But I knew the danger I was in if I stayed here longer than needed. I could already feel the little pangs of hurt when we said goodbye to each other to go to work...If I let this go on much longer then my heart would be completely shattered when I had to say goodbye more permanently.

I was suddenly glad that I only had fifteen days left here before starting my new life back in Arizona.

That was another conversation I was trying to put off.

"Yeah I know I just thought..." I walked back passed him and again he turned; his eye's on me the entire time. "...Maybe we could go out...tonight." He shrugged like it was no big deal. "But hey if you're in a rush to get away from me I wouldn't blame you.

"Oh...Um...Ok. I still might as well head home though...I don't have anything suitable to go out in here anyway...What did you have in mind?" I bit my lips as I thought about the fact that this would technically be a date...and I didn't date...usually.

"I thought maybe we could catch a movie...seen as I ruined you're movie night on Sunday with my amazing repeated rendition of John Jacob...Then maybe grab something to eat at Wok one."

"Is that the little Chinese place by the harbour?"

"Yeah...Have you ever been before?" He moved to come and sit on the bed by my bag.

"You'd think after the length of time I've lived here...that I would have been wouldn't you? But no I don't think I have." I smiled as he looked at me incredulously.

"Then you definitely haven't been...You'd have remembered it. They serve the best dumplings this side of China." He chuckled.

"Sounds great."

Walking into my apartment felt weird.

I walked around looking over everything and it almost didn't feel like my place.

Edward had arranged to pick me up at eight and we were going to see the latest Terminator film. I'd always loved a bit of action...In more ways than one.

I climbed out of my shower, revelling in the fact that I didn't have to run into my room and get dressed under the covers anymore, and pulled on a white lace thong with a diamante whale bone and a matching bra that joined at the front by a little string of the same stones. To cover that up I chose a low rise pair of skinny jeans and a black dressy halter top that plunged right down to show the detailing on my bra and had virtually no back to it. The material was smooth and ruffled with my movements. I pulled my hair up into a twist and let the ends fall out over the top of the clip keeping it all in place and picked out a pair of earrings and matching necklace that Edward had bought me one valentines day; hoping he'd recognise them.

I looked at the time and realised I had a few minutes before he'd be here so touched up the little bit of makeup I'd applied.

The knock on the door startled me and I nearly smudged the mascara that I was topping up my lashes with.

Fuck he was early!

The butterflies in my stomach went into overdrive.

I shouldn't have fucking butterflies!

Just another warning sign from my heart letting me know how fucked up things were getting.

The truth was...I was nervous.

I'd spent so much time hating him for no apparent reason that to be going out with him like this scared the shit out of me. Sure we'd spent the past few days together and the sex was amazing but...Was that all it was to him? Just another hook up? What if he didn't like the other part of me? I'd taken my clothes off in front of him a few times now yet I'd never felt more naked. We'd have to talk and entertain ourselves without the safety of sex...? Yeah! Like that made sense.

I opened the door quickly and asked him to wait a minute and that I wouldn't be long.

His eye's never left me as I rushed around trying to find my boots...not my usual ones that I wore to school...My 'fuck me' boots , as Alice had named them once when she borrowed them, that had a two inch stiletto heel and zipped up my calves.

He shut the door and stuffed his hands in his pockets while I ran back into my room, trying not to kill myself in my heels, and grabbing my lip gloss.

Bare cherry.

I applied a thin layer and shoved it into the black purse I planned on taking with me.

"Ok I'm...ready" I exclaimed as I walked back into the sitting room.

Edward just stared at me.

"Edward? You ok?" I asked, pulling my eyebrows together in confusion at his lack of animation.

His eyes were fixed on the diamante clasp on the front of my bra and the dip in the front of my top.

He licked his lips before regaining some sort of brain function...or at least enough to speak.

"Yeah right...You know what? We don't even have to go out if you want...We could just stay here and..." He grabbed my hips and pulled me to him slowly while never lifting his eyes from my cleavage. He gulped hard. "...Fuck." The grin on his face was huge as he pushed his mouth to my throat.

I bit my lip as he left a blazing trail all the way down to my collar and beyond.

"You look fucking stunning." He mumbled while he hungrily kissed between my breasts about the rhinestones decoration.

"Well you've promised me Chinese food now and I'm hungry." I breathed as his kissing was unrelenting.

"MMMmmmm...I'm hungry too..." He grinned "We can order take out."

"I didn't get all dressed up so you could be a cheapskate and order a take out." I pulled away chuckling and he growled in frustration.

"What happened to making up or ruining my movie night?" I asked as I snatched up my jacket and headed for the door.

"I'm going to sing John Jacob all through the movie now! You do know that right?" He quipped.

"Then you'll only get you're self thrown out!" I replied over my shoulder as he pulled closed my front door.

"Does this mean the shrew's coming back out to spoil the party?" He asked sarcastically.

I stopped dead in front of him and bent down from the waist as I pretended to pick up something from the floor.

"FUCK!" He groaned at his obvious eye full of the whale bone. "You're sparkling ever where!"

We made it in to the movie as the previews were playing, and picked two seats at the back. Edward was such a big kid and bought an array of candy and soda. We had a contest to see who could hit the annoying and probably underage, teenager in the head with skittles... We ducked down childishly when he turned around mumbling something about growing up and fuckers...Anyway I won; not only did I hit him once...No, no...I hit five times in a row before he jumped out of his seat and got yelled at by the people a few rows behind.

Once the movie had outlined its story and the theatre had fallen silent...I leaned over towards Edward. His eyes were fixed on the screen in front and I couldn't help myself...I moved my hand over and started to draw little circles over the fabric seem of his pants. He swallowed hard and rubbed the back of his neck before shifting uncomfortably. I rubbed him with more force and he slid further down the seat and cleared his throat. That was it...I couldn't stop now. I giggled and bit my lip as my hand started to move towards his zipper...

**Ok it's going on longer than I planned so you'll have to wait for their date and the 'fun' they're going to have lol.**

**Please review if you want an update.**

***Mouths words silently* REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! * gives thumbs up***


	15. Chapter 14

**I can't believe this has got to chapter 14 already, well 15 if you go by the thing in the corner *Points to next chapter box* I'm definitely having fun with this now.**

**So thank you again for the reviews as always and here's hoping you'll want to review this chapter for me to *bats eyelids at readers***

**So...When are they going to admit there feelings to each other????? Not just yet people...They've got a little longer to go before they get there.**

**How are they spending their last night before Alice's return? Well here it is...or the first part at least...Yes I'm back with another two parter...I think it will be worth it...*crosses fingers**

Edward's POV

"Bella...What are you..._doing_?" I jumped as she nearly caught me in my zipper and I shot her a poignant look.

She smiled guiltily before leaning over to whisper in my ear.

"Poor baby...Let me kiss that better for you." She grinned as she slid out of her seat and on to her knees in front of me, taking her jacket with her to cover us up with.

"You're not going to..." I nervously chuckled before sucking in a deep breath. "...OK you are!" I moaned silently as her mouth wrapped around my dick.

HOLY FUCK!

She opened her jacket out and covered her head that was now in my lap; to hide us from prying eyes.

I couldn't believe what she was doing!

Her lips caressed the tip of my dick and I had to bite down on my sweater sleeve that was now pulled up and balled in my hand, to stop from moaning too loudly. Her tongue swirled around my head and then she took me fully into the warm depths of her dirty little mouth; I lifted the edge of her coat to make sure I wasn't imagining what was happening and she was definitely there...She looked up at me smiling innocently while her head bobbed along my length.

"Fuck you're beautiful. I mouthed silently, smiling at her, just for her before my head flopped back against the rest and my eyes rolled in my head. I heard her giggle before I let the jacket fall back over her.

I lost track of the movie because my mind was too occupied by the feelings running through me; I was completely at her mercy when my balls tightened and I couldn't keep my eyes longer.

I silent fucking orgasm in the back of a theatre was going to be interesting.

I quickly balled up my sweater sleeve again and stuffed the bunched up fabric into my mouth to bite down on again as I felt the build in intensity. My head fell back and my eyes shut tight as my entire body tensed.

Who the hell was this woman...and what the fuck had she done to the Shrew I hated only days ago?

My body lost control and started to quiver like never before as I came in her mouth. I could feel her swallowing my spill and couldn't help but feel smug about it.

My breathing was shallow and laboured as she carefully zipped me up and snuck back into to the seat beside me; turning her attention back to the screen as if nothing had just happened.

I didn't think the smile on my face would be able to be wiped off by anything after that! She sat there for the remainder of the film, licking her lips every now and again looking like butter wouldn't melt and she never fucking looked at me again until we were standing to leave when the credits started to roll and the lights came back on.

We talked about the film or rather the bits we were able to take note of and took a walk down along the harbour while making our way to dinner.

The air was crisp and damp from the sea mist but it didn't matter

I thought about if I should hold her hand or not but that would definitely seem like something a couple would do and we weren't that so I refrained; though when I saw her shivering, my body reacted without thinking and I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her close to me. She looked at me with reluctance in her eyes but it soon melted and was replaced with a smile powerful enough to take my breath away. I grinned back down at her before turning to see how far from the restaurant we were; I didn't want her getting any colder.

"And you haven't even got any socks on to tuck your pants into." I quipped when she'd stated the obvious about it being freezing. "Oh and I'd totally volunteer to warm up your boobs for you too."

"Why would I need you to warm up my boobs?" She laughed cynically.

"Because my dear Isabella...I don't want to run the risk you gouging my eyes out with your nipples while I'm trying to eat my dinner." I toyed with a chuckle. "I've seen what extreme cold does to them remember?"

"Ha fucking ha!" She crowed.

We made it to the restaurant within a few minutes and we were grateful for the warmth that hit us as soon as we waked in.

The scent was amazing and served its purpose to make its patrons hungry.

I was suddenly starving.

We ordered Peking duck to share then both had the Tso chicken which burned her tongue with the spices. I had tried to show off and pretend it hadn't bothered me...Then I drank a full pitcher of water trying to cool the fire in my mouth; she might have laughed a little at me and a lot when I looked at her all pissed off after.

"That just fucking serves you right!" She chuckled as I gasped for air after my last attempt to douse the invisible flames on my tongue.

We taunted each other as we always did and enjoyed each other's company.

Bella's POV

I hadn't been on a date for a long time and I couldn't deny that I'd loved every minute of it.

He took me back to my place and walked me to my door like the gentleman he always used to be.

"I guess I should be going." He smiled and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"You want to stay for a coffee?" Fuck could I be any lamer?

"I don't really drink the stuff after ten." He grinned; knowing full well what I was asking.

"That's ok because I don't really have any left." I poked my tongue out of the side of my mouth in a teasing manner.

I should have just let him go...but the craving to have him near me was gaining in strength again.

He followed me into my apartment and I took off my coat as he did.

I flicked on the various lamps place around the room then offered to take his coat from him that he was carrying.

"Can I get you a drink? I think I have beer left...or I know there's a bottle of red wine hiding somewhere around here." I asked as I threw our coats on the side table in the hall.

"Beer's good...Do you have any that doesn't come with its own ice?" He smirked crookedly.

"I'll take a look" I replied; my voice sounded husky; low, and completely taking the piss.

I turned away and walked over to the kitchen with him watching my very exposed back. When I bent down to grab two bottles of Bud from the fridge he groaned again and was behind me before I could stand myself back up.

He was within a few inches of me without any part of our bodies touching but I still felt the charge bouncing between us, making my panties damp.

I turned and handed him his beverage and brushed past him to get the bottle opener before he had chance to wreck my counter again.

I deliberately stood close to him as I popped the lid of his beer off slowly while keeping my eyes locked on his. I opened my own and took a sip, letting my tongue lap the cool crisp liquid from inside.

He growled.

We spent a while sat on the couch talking about anything any everything and I was surprised at just how easy it was to be myself around him.

"Can I use your bathroom?" He asked.

"Sure it's that door there." I pointed to the far one next to my bedroom.

I let my head fall back against the couch while he was gone and thought about telling him about Phoenix...But every time I thought about it I had to fight back tears so decided to leave it alone for now.

"What the fuck is that!"

My head shot up and away from my future as he came out of the bathroom holding up my black lace corset; his eyes were wide and intrigued and his lip red and swollen from how hard he was biting it.

"Oh shit! I'd forgotten that it was in there sorry." I jumped up and went to claim the offending article off of him.

The little shit snatched it away and behind his back.

"I don't think so Swan!" He chuckled as I made a grab behind him.

I did it again and he shot over by the couch with it held above his head.

I didn't think when I ran for him; jumping on the couch and launching myself onto his back and pulling it from his grasp.

I must have gone with some force because the next thing I knew we were both on the floor and his eyes were closed.

Oh fuck

"Edward...?" Oh fuck! "Edward...?" I scrambled up on to my knees by his side. "No...No...No." I whimpered as I lowered my ear to his mouth to check he was breathing.

Nothing.

FUCK!

I turned to look at his colour and he was still nice and pink...no blue around the lips or anything...

Just then his hands shot up and pulled me down to him. He rolled us over so I was on my back and he was above me, pinning my hands over my head. He pressed his mouth to mine vigorously and chuckled when realisation set in.

I pushed him off of me and he laughed even more.

"YOU FUCKING DICK!" I screamed. "YOU...ABSOLUTE...FUCKING...DICK! THAT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY." I yelled again as he rolled around the floor in fucking hysterics. "ASSHOLE...GOD! YOU FUCKING PRICK!" I spat as he sat up and pulled me closer.

"Get the fuck off!" I tried to move but he had me in a firm hold.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...but it was just too easy!" His laughing persisted and I wanted to wipe the grin from his face.

"DICK!"

"Yes I Am...I'm sorry." He tittered; while keeping his grip on me.

"I hate you!" My protesting calmed as he looked deep into my eyes; he brushed a bang of hair that had escaped, behind my ear and let his hand linger on the side of my face.

"I'm glad." All the laughter had subsided and a new kind of tension filled the air around us. "So do I get to see that thing on?"

"Uh...no." I almost whispered when I could finally talk without shouting.

"Why?"

"Because!"

"Why because?"

At this rate we'd be here all night.

"Edward" I whined

"Well seen as you just nearly killed me..." He started.

"I did not nearly kill you...you were feigning!"

"Regardless...I did bump my head and there's definitely a knot coming up..." He'd pulled me into his lap and had started to nuzzle at my throat again.

God he could get me to confess to a murder by doing this.

"Well then it's not the lacy corset you need me to wear...it's my little nurse's outfit that would serve you better.

He pulled back and looked at me incredulously. "What?"

"Shit! See! I didn't actually want to admit to that! Or to the other costumes that hung up in my closet.

"Come again?" He raised his eyebrows at me.

"Oh nothing...I just...forget about it..." I flushed scarlet...not pink...not a little bit of rosy tint to my cheeks...oh no I meant bright 'find me in the dark' red.

"Nahuh...You have a nurses outfit?" His voice raised an octave and his eyes were wide again.

"I might have...a nurse's outfit hung up in my closet...and a few...other dress up..." He cut me off.

"Holy fucking hell! You've been holding out on me! This I got to see." He was on his feet and headed straight for my room.

"Oh no you don't!" I tried to wrestle him out of the way but he simply scooped me up football style. "Edward Cullen! Put me down!"

I managed to wrestle free and stand against the door that hid some of my dirty little secrets blocking him from getting in there.

"Oh come on! You can't just blurt that shit out to me then expect me to let it fly! Please?

"No." I shook my head fiercely and

"Please?"

"Nope!" I stood firm.

"Please?" He begged again.

"No Edward!" I chuckled as he got down on his knees and crawled over to me with his hands in a praying pose.

Fuck he was too adorable...

"'N' 'O' spells no!" I giggled.

"PLeeeeaaaassssseeee?" He asked one last time before he pressed his mouth between my legs while looking up at me through those incredible dark lashes of his. "Pleeeeeaaaaassssssseeeee Bella?" He kissed again but harder; causing my legs to quiver as his hot breathe seeped through the fabric and straight to my already heated core.

"Fuck if I can say no to that!" I moaned.

**Ok so I've got a quick question for ya'll...What kind of outfits would you like Edward to find in Bella's closet????????????Leave your suggestions in a review and I'll see what my dirty little mind comes up with for a role play for the most popular choice lol**

**Review Review Review. Cos you want more...you know you do. ;0p**


	16. Chapter 15

**Ok so you all gave me plenty of inspiration for this one so thank you very much for that and as always for all the reviews :0)**

**So...Edward...Bella and a closet full of fun?????? I hope I do it justice anyway lol...*takes a deep breath* here we go....................................................................................................................**

Edward's POV

I stood there in her closet with my fuck mouth dragging on the floor and a line of drool falling from my lip...ok the drool was an exaggeration but fuck me sideway...backwards and from behind! She had her own little costume shop in there!

I looked back and forth between the outfits of any man's wildest fantasies and her; she looked a little embarrassed so I just kept my eyes fixed on the line of clothes instead.

"Bella when you said you had a few...I didn't think you meant...Fuck!" I let out a single chuckle.

She was silent as she watched me.

"I mean...holy fuck up in a confessional box!"

Still she was silently flushing...and biting her lip.

"Is that a..."I swallowed hard and turned towards her; pulling her into my arms and pressing my head to hers. "Beeeellllllllllllaaa?" My voice had a pleading tone in it that she picked out straight away.

"Eddddwwwwaaaaarrrrdddd?" She replied in the same manner...except it sounded a little whineier

I just smiled at her and pretended to bat my eyelids pathetically at her.

"Edward...I don't...know." She shook her head.

I kissed her ear before whispering in it.

"But they look soooooo hot...they got me hard already and you're not even wearing them yet." I followed my statement with a chaste kiss below where I placed the last one. "And playing teacher was amazing...and my head really does hurt...and I need nurse Bella to kiss my boo boo better." I pouted again and hoped to god this would work.

A huge grin spread itself on her face and she pushed me back out of the closet while she stayed in there and closed the door.

"That didn't go quite as I planned." I stood bewildered looking at the now closed door. "Bella can I come back in there and play too please?" I chuckled.

She didn't answer and all I could hear was clunking and zipping.

The door opened and there she stood.

Clad in a very short police uniform...The shirt fitted her curves perfectly, showing just enough cleavage to get a guy hot and the little matching shorts rode up exposing a bit of her tight ass from underneath. It looked real with all the little silver buttons and shit embellishing it and it even had numbers on the epaulettes on the shoulders.

Her legs were exposed all the way down to the seriously hot ass sexy pair of zip up boots with a heel that I'd love to have wrapped around my ass.

"H..O..L..Y.....S..H..I..T! Did it just get hot in here or is it just me?" I licked my lips at the sight of her stood there like that.

She walked passed me, grabbed a chair from the corner and set it down in the middle of the room.

"SIT!" She demanded with the same harsh tone from her class room.

"Make me." I mocked back.

"I said sit punk! Now do as you're told!" Her hands sat firmly on her hips.

"What are you going to do? Arrest me?" I sniggered as her features set hard.

She swayed over and put her hands on my chest, forcing me gently backwards as she looked up at me licking her lips.

I nearly came in my pants.

Before I knew what he happened I'd involuntarily sat on the chair and was looking up at her instead.

"I'm going to have to arrest your sorry ass now...You had to push your luck didn't you." She shook her head as she straddled my lap.

"How do you expect to do that when you don't even have handcuffs?" I brought my hands to rest on her hips and let out a long moan when she ground herself down on me hard.

She reached behind her back and unhooked something. When she brought them back into sight she twirled a very shiny pair of handcuffs around her finger. They were the real ones too...not the cheap...break if you breathe on them kind.

"Mr Cullen...You have the right to remain silent..." She started. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law..." Oh yeah she'd done this before. "You have the right to an attorney present during questioning... If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you..." She licked slowly up the side of my face before removing my hands and putting them behind the chair; there was no way I was going to fight it! She clicked the metal restrains into place and there really wasn't any way out of them until she released me. "Do you understand these rights as I have explained them to you?" Again she rolled her hips on mine.

"I thought you said I had to be silent?" I quipped.

"Don't fucking get clever with me boy or I will use force...I don't know if you noticed but you're kind of stuck there." She breathed in my ear and I got fucking goose bumps...I never got goose bumps! "Now do you want to see all those outfits on or not?"

I nodded...fearing if I spoke it'd be a mouthful of gibberish that didn't make any sense.

"Ok...Let me see what we have....MMMmmmm." She disappeared back into the closet and I wanted her back already...to be back in my lap and rubbing me fucking senseless.

That was until she came back out...In a fucking school uniform...And I mean the whole shebang!

Pleated short skirt...white button down shirt, again with the cleavage peep show...a little tie and fucking thigh highs, topped off with a hockey stick swung over her shoulder.

"I think I've just died!" I gulped as she walked over and used the wooden implement in her hand to part my legs before she turned and sat on my now very apparent, even through my pants, hard on. She leaned back against me and smiled innocently.

Next out to play was a fucking cheerleading uniform...from our old high school no less.

Then a fucking brownie...she had a prop box of cookies and everything.

"Hello..." She smiled sweetly when she straddled me again. "My names Bella and I'm selling cookies to raise money for our annual jamboree...Would you be interested in helping our cause?"

"Hell yes! I'll take them ALL!" I drooled. There was something about that costume that was completely wrong...but hot at the same time...But only when it was on her.

Her parade continued as I got to see her dressed as an angel...and a devil...which made my dick twitch like a fucking coke addict.

She saved the nurse until last.

Bella's POV

I was so fucking high right now; watching Edward's eye nearly bug out as I'd paraded around in my different outfits. It had boosted my confidence like nothing else and his eyes were filled with hunger...for me.

The look on his face when I first came out dressed as a cop had been priceless...and even better when I'd pulled out my hand cuffs.

I'd felt his heart beating hard against me when I'd pressed up against him and I had a feeling it'd still be thundering in his chest...I hoped so.

My final costume was the fore mentioned nurse. I'd un-cuffed him and helped him onto my bed...Instructing him to remove his shirt.

I swayed my hips as I walked over to him in the short, little, white PVC zip up dress and hat. The dress had its own suspenders attached to the bottom. I had a stethoscope around my neck and a pair of white stockings that were being held up by the dress.

"I hope you're going to give me plenty of CPR nurse Swan." he gulped as I straddled him on the bed.

I had taken my panties off and I knew he could feel the heat against his dick from my uncovered flesh and he pushed up against it, making me moan.

"If you don't stop that Mr Cullen then I may have to retrain you again for your own safety." I leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

He did it again with an expectant look at me.

"Oh I get it! You WANT me to restrain you huh?" I reached onto the floor for the previously discarded handcuff.

He licked his lips but never uttered a single word...even when I moved his hands above his head and fastened them to the intricate iron rails of my headboard. I moved back so my head was against his and my breathing had already increased in anticipation. He lifted his head to kiss me but I moved just out of his reach. He let out a frustrated growl and let his head fall back on the pillow.

"You wanted me to restrain you Edward...Don't start misbehaving about it now." I scolded

"I want to kiss you though." He lifted his head again to look at me.

I simply smiled and kissed his chin while he tried once again to attain my lips.

"Ah ah ah!" I waggled my finger about his face.

I let my lips drag down his chest until I met his amazing little treasure trail.

"I wonder what I'd find if I followed this?" I asked innocently. His body arched as my hand delved into his pants and grabbed him hard. "Oh my...Mr Cullen?" I chuckled. "Now...according to the Doctor...You have Midixarising syndrome..." He let out a burst of laughter at his made up diagnosis. "He's prescribed a dose of serious fucking...at least three times over the course of the next few hours...It should cure you...but if you continue to have problems...don't hesitate to come back to me...It could turn into something more serious if it's left unattended." I had to giggle too. "Now are you ready for your first course of treatment?" I asked as I slowly pumped him in my hand.

"I...oh fuck...yeah I think I'm ready..."He groaned.

"Good...First we have to take these off..." I made slow work of his belt and zipper before pulling his pants and boxers down his legs at the same time. "Is that better?"

"Yes." He nodded as I took him back into my hands and massaged him.

"I want to be inside you already!" He growled as his head shot up to look at me.

I wanted him inside me too and I was more than wet.

"Are you sure?" I questioned as I positioned myself above him.

"Fuck yes!" He bucked his hips, causing him to enter me a little and I couldn't help throw my head back and drop down onto him hard. "FUCK! You're so wet!"

It felt fucking incredible.

I mixed my movements from moving up and down along his length to circling my hips and it was driving us both crazy.

After a while though he started to get frustrated.

"Fucking un-cuff me now Bella! I can't stand this anymore I need to touch you!"

I stilled in my place and slowly reached into my bra to retrieve the key to his freedom and my orgasm. The locked clicked and within a second he had his arms wrapped around me...burying his face in the front of my dress.

"I don't fucking think so!" He growled again at the zip as he ripped it down until it was level with my belly button...revealing my white lacy balconette bra. He devoured me passionately causing me whimper in delight.

"Fuck me Edward!" I groaned throatily and he wasted no time in flipping me over so I was laid out on my stomach. He straddled my thighs and ran his hand down my spine causing chills to run through me.

"Now you're at _my_ mercy." He cooed in my ear.

"I'm not scared of you." I breathed back.

"Well you really shouldn't have said that!" He bit down on my neck and it hurt...but in a good way. He was leaving his mark again and the throb between my legs increased strength.

He spread my legs and climbed between them before grabbing my hips and lifting me on to him. My hands shot out in front of me to find something to brace myself against as he pummelled into me from behind. This was one of my favourite positions and I revelled in the increased depth being achieved.

"Yes...Oh fuck Edward! Harder!" I begged and he complied.

"You want it hard baby? Huh?" He strained to talk through his exertion.

"Yes oh god yes!" I was quickly climbing to the summit of mount pleasure and he was right along with me.

I was there...just there but I wanted him to come with me."EDWARD I'M GOING TO FUCKING COME! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!

"You now I can't take it when you do that shit belllllaaaaaa!" He came as he finished his sentence and took me with him.

"I'm fucking coming...I'm coming...uunngggghhhhh!" It was my turn to growl.

My body shook almost violently and my legs gave way; Edward had to hold me up and support weight...Thank god I was pretty light.

Our breathing was coming out in short pants and our chests were heaving as he let himself slump over my back, kissing my spine all the way up to my neck before leaving a chaste kiss on my jaw.

Alice would be back tomorrow and I didn't know what we were going to do about this...us...I didn't know if he wanted her to know or not...I didn't think I wanted her to know...Not after everything that happened before.

But for tonight I was content...and hungry to finish off Edward's course of treatment.

***Hides behind the couch and shouts over to readers* Well? Did it work? Did it meet expectations?**

**Review and let me know please...I update often and I think that deserves reviews for not keeping you waiting too long. *peeks out then ducks back down***


	17. Chapter 16

**Well you all seemed...happy...with that last chapter lol; I got an idea earlier on for one in a few chapters time too that might just be a panty dampener...It will be for me when I write it *fans self already just at the thought***

**So Alice is back today and the big question is' to tell or not to tell' I'm thinking not...secret sex...**

**Oh and for those who didn't get it...if you didn't...Midixarising is pronounced 'My dick's a rising'**

Edward's POV

I left Bella's the next morning with the biggest...stupidest grin spread on my face.

Last night had been fucking awesome!

Seeing Bella shine with so much confidence was one of the best things I'd ever seen. She oozed sexiness and played her parts to perfection.

We'd spent a little time talking this morning and decided not to say anything to Alice... We didn't want her thinking anything of it when we didn't even know ourselves what the fuck it was we were doing.

Humphrey had run out and danced around my legs to go out the moment I walked back through the front door.

"Yeah ok...I get it...you need to go take a leak...come on." I picked up his leash and clipped it onto the fucking black sparkly collar that Alice had insisted he had...She'd wanted to get him a pink one but luckily Jasper talked her out of it; he told her that the dog would develop a fucking complex.

I pulled the door closed behind us and headed out to the park around the corner.

He quickly relieved himself as I took a look around the little oasis of green. My mind couldn't help but wonder back to the night before when I saw a police cruiser pull up across the street and two female police officer's vacate it...I shifted on the spot as my dick twitched from the memory of her sat in my lap...handcuffing me to the chair. I quickly turned away and looked down at the dog.

"You done?"

Yeah because he could answer me!

It didn't stop there either...When I headed back over to Alice's, a bunch of school girls rounded the corner and walked straight at me.

Oh fuck.

They walked on by and giggled with a few of them looking back over there shoulders.

"Hey" One of them actually said, causing her collection of friends to hyperventilate when I turned around and blushed back at them, hoping to Christ it wasn't because my dick was visibly upright even through my pants...Not at them but I couldn't help the image of Bella and that fucking hockey stick...I was in for an uncomfortable walk back to the apartment at this rate.

Humphrey bound back through the door like he was expecting someone to be waiting for him...I knew how he felt.

I forgot myself for a moment and expected Bella to step out of the kitchen as we got in...No such luck. We'd only spent a few days here together but it still felt empty without her.

I looked at the time; Alice and Jasper were supposed to be getting back in about an hour depending on traffic and I wanted to be here to prove I hadn't killed anything...this time.

I hated waiting around...It made me ponder things.

Things like...

The weather...

The monetary climate of the world...

How far the mutt would slide across the hardwood floor if you rolled him like a bowling ball...

Bella...

If Bella was thinking of me like I was her...

The feel of her skin under mine...

If I'd ever sort out the fucking mess that was my mind and figure out exactly how I felt about her...

Thankfully they got in early having made good time and my pondering seized for the time being.

"Hey baby!" Alice squealed as she came in throwing her bags on the floor and scooping up my intended bowling ball.

The mop went crazy...I'm talking bat shit crazy...to see her.

"Alice...I didn't know you cared so much." I feigned a sob.

"I was talking to the dog!" She cooed before looking at me. "So...How's things?" The tone in her voice was a little too practiced.

"How'd you mean?" I asked knowing full well she meant having to communicate with the woman she thought...I thought of still as a shrew.

"Did Bella stop by to water the plants and see to Humphrey?" My little sister was never one to get straight to her point.

"Yes." Her eye twitched at my answer and I knew she'd been hoping for me to elaborate more.

"AND?" She crossed her arms and tapped her foot at me.

"AND she stopped by to water the plants and take out the mop." I shrugged.

"HE IS NOT A MOP! He's mommies little baby aren't you?" She cooed again to the animal licking the shit out of her face. "I hope you were polite and civil to her Edward...She's my best friend and I'm not prepared to have you treating her like shit!"

He wondered what her stance of him fucking Bella senseless would be but bit his tongue from retaliating with that one.

"I was simply me Ally." I smiled.

"That's what I was worried about...I mean it Edward if you so much as..."

"Chill your boots Alice! I remained polite throughout...Ok?"

"Ok." But she still didn't look convinced.

"Now...how was your trip?" I asked knowing it would get her to change the subject.

"OH MY GOD IT WAS AMAZING!" Her demeanour had changed from maybe wanting to cut off my balls if I hurt her friend...to...I might combust any second if I don't tell you every...single...detail of our trip.

I got myself comfortable and let her rant on...Throwing Jasper congratulatory yet sympathetic looks for putting up with her annoyingly ADHD butt.

After her third day run down I stopped listening and thought back to Bella again.

"Edward...?"

"Huh?" I looked around in confusion.

"I said do you want a beer?" Jasper asked as Alice looked perturbed that I wasn't hanging off every word she spoke.

"sure"

"Here dude." He said as he handed me one from the fridge.

"Thanks." I chuckled at the bottle of Budweiser in my grasp. I took a drink and bemusedly thought how it seemed a little warm even out of the cooler.

"So do you think you could be civil to Bella for one more night?" My sister suddenly asked.

"Alice you make me sound like an ogre! Yeah I can be _civil!" _

"Good because I'm going to call her and invite her over to dinner to say thank you for seeing to my Humphrey." She looked down at him sat by her feet.

"Yeah about that...Why didn't you just ask me to look after the mutt?" I questioned as she covered his ears from my words and pouted angrily at me...Like I'd offend him calling him that.

"I still haven't forgiven you for killing Caius!" she scoffed.

"Who the hell is Caius?" Jasper asked this time.

"My poor fish that starved to death while drowning in its own shit because someone didn't clean the water or feed the poor little thing." She spat at me this time and I couldn't help but growl a little as I did when Bella brought it up.

"IT...WAS...A...FUCKING...FISH!" I articulated slowly.

She stuck her tongue out at me and Jasper walked out of the room before bursting into laughter in the kitchen.

"Whatever...I wasn't taking any chances with my baby boy."

My reply was... "Now you sound like fucking Bucking!" My mind however just heard 'Fucking Bella' and my pants became uncomfortable again!

"What you mean you actually managed to TALK to her?" She asked incredulously.

"I told you I was..." sex crazed...horny...had her over on that piano AND in your bed... "Civil"

"Wow Edward...I so proud of you!" She beamed.

I just chuckled nervously and decided it probably wouldn't be such a good idea to stand up for a while.

Bella came over later that evening for dinner as Alice had requested and winked at me as she walked through the door.

I couldn't help grinning like an idiot and excused myself from their company so I could try and get a grip on myself...Being around her and not having her slammed up the wall while buried inside her was going to be harder than I thought...And not being able to touch her like I wanted to in front of my sister would be the death of me.

"So Alice how was the trip?" She had to ask...Alice jumped into another full blown account and Jasper and I sank deeper into the couch and covered our droll faces.

They thankfully went into the kitchen to prepare dinner and left me and Jazz playing on Alice's Wii...We were half way through a bowling tournament when Bella came out and told us food was ready.

Jasper disappeared into the kitchen to help Alice and I grabbed Bella and pulled her to me while kissing her passionately. She moaned and pressed her body to mine before pulling away just in time as Alice came through carrying tureens of steaming food that smelled amazing with Jasper following her. They set everything out on the table and we all sat down to eat.

Bella spent the majority of the knight with her foot buried in my crotch.

"So Edward...How's things?" She asked in the tone of the shrew while rubbing a little harder on my dick at the word 'Things'

"Never better thanks." I answered through gritted teeth.

I kept having to bite my lip as she'd increase her pace then slow it right back down again. She played her part well...Only looking at me momentarily while Alice and Jasper gazed at each other; or if I'd asked her a question and vice versa.

"So you all ready for the holidays?" She quizzed politely...trying to keep the depth of our friendship limited to my sister's eyes.

"Yeah I love Christmas! I love winter too." I answered smiling as I hoped she'd bite.

"Oh why's that?"

There it was.

"I like it when things are cold. All my _best_ memories are from cold days...They're the ones that seem to 'stick out'...in my mind more. I licked my lips and took a drink of my beer and she struggled to stop her self from laughing.

"That reminds me Edward...You're coming here Christmas day right?" Alice collected a few dishes and took them through to the kitchen before coming and sitting back down for an answer.

"Yeah...If it's still ok?"

"Of course it is...Mom and Dad are coming too." She added giddily. I'd invite you too honey but you'll be sunning it up in Arizona right?"

"Yeah Alice...I'll be in Arizona by then." Something about how she answered that question seemed completely off.

We were all sat around the table drinking and laughing at Alice's descriptions of Jasper on a pair of skis and at the amount of times he fell over.

"Oh and there were a few cute guys there two Bella...Serious double taker's...There was this one guy and 'Oh my God' was he hot!" She giggled.

"I'm sat right here Alice!" Jasper chuckled uncomfortably and she blushed.

I started to wonder how bad it would be if my sister knew about what was going on between us. Being sat there talking and laughing while holding Bella's hand would seem like the most natural thing in the world to do.

Our Banter was interrupted with the door and Alice rose to answer it.

"It's probably that hot guy Alice coming to declare his undying love for you and steal you away from Jasper!" Bella giggled again.

"He leaned over. "He can take her...and the dog!" He chuckled jokingly.

"I HEARD THAT JASPER HALE!" she yelled as she was about to open the door.

"You only hear what you want to honey...It's amazing how deaf she becomes when we go shopping and I tell her it's time to go." He nodded at the truth in his words and I didn't doubt them...I knew what my sister could be like when she got started on a spending spree.

I picked up my beer and started to take a long pull from the bottle.

"Oh a Brownie! Oh how cute are you?" Alice squealed.

"Hi my names Ella and I'm selling cookies to raise money for our annual jamboree...Would you be interested in helping our cause?"

Beer sprayed everywhere from my mouth and nose and stung like a bitch!

**Many thanks to alias of a girl for the idea!!!I hope i didn't disappoint you bb...even though I didn't go with the nurse.**

**So if you could all just review this for me that would be SO FREAKIN AWESOME!**

**I'm nearing 200...Would love to get there with this one...maybe???**


	18. Chapter 17

**I love you ALL so FREAKIN' MUCH! I turned 30 yesterday and was on the brink of a mid-life mental break down...seriously...I have like this huge fear of death and dying... (Can't even drive past a cemetery without going to pieces...Funerals are a major no no too) So the fact that I'm about half way through my natural life scared the living shit out of me. I nearly had a full blown panic attack and everything!!!!!! Anyway...Once I'd calmed substantially and realized that I could get run over (again) tomorrow and that could be the end of things for me...I got my 200****th**** review!!!On my birthday!!! Yey!**

**Sorry that was nothing really to do with the story but hey, thought I'd share. Oh and the reason for my lack of updates over the past few days...I hope you can forgive me :0P**

**A question seems to have been asked a few times so I thought I'd address it...**

**Bella is leaving for Phoenix on Christmas Eve...Edward knows she's going but he thinks it's just her usual trip home and that she'll be coming back after...**

**She is planning on telling Edward but keeps putting it off because it hurts to thing about...and that would mean she would have to admit to herself that she's falling for him...again...and she didn't want to. She's still kidding herself that it's just a bit of fun.**

**Edward is still as confused as Teenager Edward...He too thinks he can keep up the 'fun' times with Bella but doesn't realise how he truly feels...**

**So back on with the story...**

**Chapter 17**

Bella's POV

Alice came back to the table laughing with the rest of us and sat next to Jasper while Edward rubbed his nose fiercely to stop the stinging from his nasal beer spitting trick.

"What the hell was THAT?" Alice slapped the table with one hand while clutching her ribs with the other.

Jasper was almost incoherently rolling around the floor and I pulled my lips into my mouth in an attempt to stifle the huge guffaw I really wanted to let out...I didn't manage it and was soon cradling my own stomach and my face ached from the shaking.

"It's not FUCKING FUNNY!" He growled before conceding and joining in.

"Dude it was PRICELESS! It came out like a fucking geyser!"

"Well...What the fuck brought that on?" She asked again.

I streak of scarlet rose in Edward's cheeks before disappearing just as quick. "I...um...I...It went down the wrong way."

"Do it again! Do it again!" Jasper clapped like a five year old.

Edward chuckled before turning to me."Pass me that napkin please." It sounded like a question. I did. "Hey Jazz I learned a new trick while you were away...Want to see it?" He kept a very serious face and even I became intrigued.

"Cool...Shoot!" He moved to the edge of his seat like he was about to see something outstanding.

"Ok..." He held up the napkin and showed both sides. "Everyday...normal...napkin right?"

"Yeah..." Jaspers eyes grew in excitement like the child he'd just been acting like would have done.

"Right...And there's nothing in my hand too...yeah?" He flipped his hand over to show he wasn't hiding anything. "Ok here we go." He threw his arms out in front of him before balling up his hand and covering it with the square of white linen. "Ok Jasper this is very important! When I've said the magic words and counted to three...I want you to pull the corner of the napkin off as fast as you can...ok?"

Ok even I had leaned in to get a better look.

"I love magic!" Alice beamed as she bounced in her chair.

"Ok!" Jasper answered...His eyes never left the cloth...like he was sure he was going to see a slight of hand movement and shoot down Edward's trick.

"You sure you got that?" Edward asked again; a dark smile sat on his face and I bit my lip in anticipation.

"YES!" Jasper chuckled.

"OK...Abra Kadabra." He waved his other hand over the top of his hand in a very theatrical manner. "One...Two...Three!" On the count of three, Jasper whipped away the material to reveal Edward's middle finger flipping him of.

"You fucking son of a bitch!" He chuckled as both me and Alice shrieked with laughter. "You fucking prick! I thought that you were being serious and it was a real fucking trick!"

Edward smirked before finally cracking and joining in with the laughter.

"What are you talking about? That was the best fucking trick I've seen since I was about ten and Haldini magiced a dove from his hat at my eighth birthday!" My best friend chuckled as she once again cradled her sides.

Edward arrogantly sat back in his chair and took another swig of beer and this time he managed to not give a repeat performance.

After another hour I offered to help Alice with the dishes while the boys went back to trying to out do each other at bowling.

"So...You got anything you want to tell me Isabella?" She turned to face me swiftly after dropping the plates into the sink.

"W...what...Why would I?" I stammered; suddenly scared that I'd given too much away with Edward. Shit!

"Don't pretend like nothing's been going on...I'm not stupid you know!" She grinned. "You've got freshly fucked written all over your face!"

I blushed and knew there was no way of getting out of this...Fuck!

"I don't know why you don't just make it official and declare yourselves as a couple."

"Oh well...um...We've only really been messing around Alice...It's not like it's anything more than that." There I went lying to myself again.

"Well I think there's more to it than that! He is hot though!" Oh my god she swooned...She actually swooned...

"If I weren't engaged..."

I wanted to cover my ears and sing John Jacob really loudly to stop me from having to hear that shit.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She quizzed. "Max is hot! I can still window shop can't I?"

"Yes Alice you can window shop...Just don't stop to buy anything ok?" I sighed as I realised she wasn't referring to her own flesh and blood...Fuck that was just gross!

I decided to call it a night and hugged my little intoxicated little pixie friend and her other half before turning to Edward. Part of me wanted to go and throw myself into his arms and demand he take me again on the piano...But I knew Alice and Jasper weren't drunk enough for that and would have remembered it in the morning.

"Well I guess it's been...interesting Edward." I wavered on my spot before turning to the door and leaving after promising Alice I'd call the next day.

"Hey wait up!"

I turned as I heard Edward call down the stairs to me.

Before I had a chance to answer he'd pulled me into him and smothered my mouth with his.

I melted.

"I've wanted to do that again since you pulled away before dinner." He grinned.

"That's funny because I wanted you to do that too." I toyed.

He removed his arms after another long kiss and wrapped his arm around me.

"So you realise you have some shit to finish after teasing my ass all through dinner right?" He lowered his mouth to whisper in my ear.

"I'm sure I haven't a clue to what you're referring to Mr. Cullen!" I turned my head away in stuck my nose out snootily.

He took a step behind me and pushed against my back.

"Now do you remember to what you were doing to me?" He brushed a finger along my jaw and I fucking quivered.

"Oooh...That!" I bit my lips as he remained behind me and walked with both his arms wrapped around me.

"That." He moaned into my ear before kissing it as I rubbed my ass against his very apparent...incarcerated dick.

"Well I guess we better go back to your place then so I can rectify the 'problem'.

"I'm not sure if I can wait all that time...It's kinda painful." His lips moved over my skin while I tried to remember how to put one foot in front of the other.

"Well you're just going to have to be patient aren't you?" I turned and looked at him, pulling him by his shirt front.

We made it back to his apartment in record time and he wasted none in slamming me against his door as he closed it behind us. Our hands were almost a blur with how quickly they moved to remove our clothes. I grabbed him by his hair and pulled him to me; moaning as his lips burned me with delight. He hungrily attacked my throat while I grappled with his shirt buttons.

"I've been thinking about you all fucking day!" He breathed in between switching from one side of my neck to the other.

"Me too," I panted back honestly.

"Yeah but I bet there wasn't fucking everything to remind you of me like there was of you for me! Fucking school girls...Cops..."

"Brownies?" I giggled as I anticipated his next words.

"Fucking Brownie's! Alice had to buy the fucking cookies too didn't she...un-knowingly taunting my ass! Oh fuck!" He sucked in a deep breath as I took his now free dick in my hands before dropping to the floor and taking him into my mouth. His eyes rolled and his shoulders hit the door as my tongue started to work in little circles around him.

"You do know that's not a cookie right? Ooohhhh shhhiiiiitttt!"

"I know...It's better than a cookie." I breathed when I came up for air.

"Please don't stop!" His head shot up to look at me as I took a pause.

I wrapped my lips around him again and he brushed his hand into my hair and balled it up. It didn't take long for him to start tensing up and twitching and he finally came; the salty liquid sliding down my throat as I took all he had given.

"So how did you like my magic trick?" He grinned as he tried to catch his breath.

I giggled he pulled me back up and into his arms.

"Cos you know I know a few other tricks with my hands?" He stated as he pressed me into the door again and let his hand lazily run the length of my body. He dipped it into the waistband my pants and rubbed my heat over my panties while running his nose along my jaw. He pushed the fabric aside and slowly pressed two of those magical fingers into me and my body pushed against him in want.

"See I knew you wanted this as much as I did." He purred against my skin. "Warm...Wet...Throbbing...fuck I can feeeeeeel the throbbing Bella."

"Well fucking do something about it then and don't keep me waiting." My eyes were so far back in my head in that moment that I was surprised I managed to string a sentence together.

"I plan to." He whispered as he pulled back to watch my expression at what his hands were doing to me

"Oh god!" I gasped as his movements began to increase in pace. "Shit Edward!"

"Na ah! No cursing tonight Bella...Not until I tell you that you can ok?" He pulled his hand away from me and I wanted to yell at him to fucking put them back but I'd play his game...He'd played mine last night. "Know here's how it's going to go...You can't do anything unless I tell you ok? You only do what I tell you. Answer yes sir if you understand me Bella"

"Yes sir." Fuck that was a hot concept and turned me on so freakin' much!

"Good girl...Now Go to my room and lay on my bed." He brushed his fingers against the fabric of my pants and I whimpered for more contact.

"I managed to think about what he wanted me to do. "Which way is your room?" I asked when I realised I'd never been there before.

He came up behind me and lifted my arm with his; he looked over my shoulder and used his hand under mind to point me in the right direction.

I let out the breath I didn't realise I'd been holding and followed the direction indicated to me.

"Oh and Bella...Take of the rest of your clothes too.

If I wasn't wet and wanting before then I certainly was now.

I followed his instructions and climbed onto his rather larger bed. I had to stifle the chuckle stuck in my throat at the black bedding...I hoped to Christ he didn't come in here with a fake porn star moustache on because I'd crease up and spoil the atmosphere.

I few moments later him came into the room without any extra facial hair and I internally thanked whoever it was out there that decided fate.

He stalked over and started to walk around the bed.

"I plan on fucking you senseless Isabella." He turned only his head to me as he continued to slowly move around me.

Ok...let's get to it! I thought.

"But I'm not going to be so eager to give you what you want." He made his way over where he'd already stepped."I'm going to make it a long...drawn out process."

He went into the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out a black dress scarf and knelt on the bed. He tied it around my eyes and kissed them over the cloth.

"I'm going to make you sorry for ever teasing me like that...In my sister's home no less...especially after we decided to keep this from her." He was fucking toying with me.

I felt the bed dip and became aware of his hands on either side of my head.

"Now...What first?" His voice was as smooth as velvet and I worried I'd come just from hearing it now I didn't have my sight. "MMMmmmm."

I felt his fingers trace over every inch of me and I pushed my hips off the bed to encourage his touch.

"MMMmmmm ...Some ones in need of a little friction huh?"

"Yes." I pleaded.

I felt the tip of his tongue replace his fingers and marvelled at the sensations it sent through me. Everything seemed enhanced because of my lack of sight.

He teased the fuck out of me by running it around the tops of my thighs but conveniently avoiding my need.

"Edward please?" I begged.

I didn't mind begging if he rewarded me with his touch.

Just as I was about to give up and concede that He would make me suffer; his mouth came into contact with me where I yearned for it and I moaned loudly.

He pulled back again. "Is that what you want Bella...My tongue lapping at you...fucking you until you scream?"

"Yes...God Yes!"

Again I felt the heat of his warm mouth at my core and I ached against him.

"I want you to lay still Bella...Lay still for me and don't come until I say you can ok?" He purred against me but I kept still as told. "Good girl."

My reward for behaving was the most exquisite pleasure as he worked me...His lips toyed with my bud before he started to nibble it. I wanted to jump off the bed at first but got turned on more once I was used to the feeling. He torturously pressed his magic fingers into me once more and I almost growled.

"I want you silent until I say other wise...Do you understand?" He lifted slightly away from me; to gage my reaction to all this.

I bit my lip and my silence answered him.

His fingers became frantic along with me but I still remained as instructed...But I could feel the tension and wanted to moan so fucking hard. My breathing became laboured and I could feel my body starting to tighten around him. But he was going to make me wait the fucker!

"Do you want to come Bella?" He asked; his voice sounded laced with lust.

I kept quiet until he said otherwise.

"You can answer me."

"Yes...please...YES!" I begged again

"Come for me then and make as much noise as you want but no cursing...remember?"

I didn't need any more of an invitation.

I unravelled and screamed like a banshee

"OOOHHHH GOOOOOODDDDDDDDD! MMMMMMM...EDDDDWWAAAAAARRRRDDDDD!" I felt like my entire insides had become goo. I hadn't realised how much I swore during sex with him but fuck I could have turned it out in buckets full.

"That's my girl." I felt the bed around me move and sighed as his lips caressed every inch of me again.

He gently picked up my legs and positioned himself between them; allowing only his tip to press against me...It was agony! I wanted him inside me and he was making me wait.

"You'll never tease me like that again will you Isabella?" His breath veiled the side of my face while he allowed little more of himself to enter me.

"No" I whispered in desperation for more.

He pushed into me fully and I purred at the contact he'd made me wait for but again he didn't rush.

"Edward please" I lifted my head off the pillow blindly...Wanting nothing more than to see him above me.

He removed the scarf and the sudden light stung my eyes for a moment as they adjusted again.

"Can I curse yet?" I pleaded...Knowing that I needed to tell him to fuck me already but his rule would prevent me from getting what I wanted.

"Yes" He chuckled at my impatience.

"Good now fuck me already...and make it hard!" I growled as my eyes met his angrily.

"Yes Ma'am!" With that he rose to his knees and pounded me into next week.

"Fuck! That feels amazing!" I moaned as he picked up the pace even more. "Yes Oh Fuck YES!"

"Bella...I'm...I'mmm..." I felt the tension building in him again as I rolled well and truly over the edge of pleasure...an increased pleasure after learning to appreciate my senses more "COMING! FUUUUCCCCCKKKKKKKK!" I felt him stream into me before he collapsed onto me.

"Ok that was worth being teased at Alice's for" He panted heavily along with me.

My throat was so dry from our fun and my voice sounded husky because of it.

"Fucking 'A' it was"

**See I made it a bit longer because I haven't updated in a few days....Hope you enjoyed and please review...I need at least 23 to beat Something of the Weekend...Which would be so amazing!!!!!!!**

**Please help me beat it!!!!! It only takes a minute and helps to motivate me to write.**


	19. Chapter 18

**Ok so I topped Something for the Weekend ...Then some people read that one and reviewed it and took it's total just a bit higher but who cares...Your guys are amazing! So shall we try for a little higher this time? I'd love to get this story over the 300 mark at somepoint...That would be outstanding.**

**Sorry for the long gap between this and the last update...We're still having no luck with computer's and had to have this one completely reformatted and I've had to wait to get Word put back on...GRR! I can't wait to have the pennies to buy a new one. Anyway...I found out I can upload so I don't have to wait any longer for word...YEY!**

**chapter 18**

Edward's POV

As I sat waiting for the lights in front of me to change, I let my head fall back against the rest and thought back over the past two weeks playing with Bella .

I thought about what we'd done together and what we'd discovered about each other in the process...and for the first time in forever I felt more at peace with our past...Breaking up had done wonders to the both of us of course I meant once all the shit and hurt got pushed aside. Somehow I didn't think the Bella I lo...cared for in school would have blossomed into the woman she is today without our past.

If we had stayed together then I'm not sure if we'd still be happy now...Dating someone from school was different from seeing someone in a relationship as an adult with college and experience under your belt. Bella had always been shy and reserved back then...but she'd probably have punched anyone if they told her she'd one day dress up in sexy as fuck little outfits for someone and participated in role playing and shit.

Today was Friday the sixteenth of December and I couldn't quite get the impression that change was coming. Bella and I had spent time together in secret. Alice remained out of the loop and I was suddenly grateful the mop couldn't talk and out us...But something was different.

She had this...tone; like she was pulling away...but there was nothing to pull away from because we weren't even together so I had no reason to feel the pain that was building stronger by the day in my chest. Something was definitely off though.

A loud honking from behind caused me to snap out of my thoughts as I noticed the green light was on; I was met by more honking of the disapproving kind as they switched back to red once I'd gone through.

I pulled up outside of the restaurant and sighed heavily as I glanced through the window at her sat there waiting for me. Fuck she was beautiful. She was wearing a hot little black number with those fucking boots she'd worn when I did her over her desk in the school she worked at. I climbed out and locked the door before turning to go in to meet her.

"Hi...Welcome to Freesia's...My name is Mandy do you have a reservation sir?" The pretty blond behind the front desk asked in a chipper barbie voice...I was pretty sure she'd have something plastic on her too just like the famous doll but I stopped myself from looking to get confirmation.

What the fuck was wrong with me? Just over two weeks ago I would have been looking her up and down and trying to find out how I could get into her underwear and shamelessly flirted with her...I shuddered.

"Yes I do actually...It's Cullen and I think my girlfriend is here already." Girlfriend? The only thing I could explain my reasoning for choice of words would be that I wanted to covey just how much I wasn't interested in her but still...Girlfriend?

"Of course sir...I'll show you to you're table if you'll just follow me." She gestured for me to follow and led me to where I already new Bella to be sitting. "Enjoy your meal." She smiled weakly as she looked over my 'girlfriend' then over me.

Fuck you bitch! Bella's more beautiful and amazing than you could ever be...I thought as I recognised the look in her eyes.

"Hey." I smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"Hey you." She shifted in her seat while I took mine across from her and noticed the hesitation reappearing in her eyes again.

"So when you called earlier...You said you wanted to tell me something?" I hoped it was why she was suddenly blowing a few degrees cooler towards me.

"Yeah...I have to tell you something..." She was interrupted mid sentence.

"Hello. My name is Chelsea and I'll be your server this evening...Here are your menus and would you like anything to drink while you're waiting to order?" What was it with all the chicks that worked here? They all seemed to have been taking happy pills or something...Maybe I could get them to slip Bella one and lift her out of her sombre bed she'd been laying in for the past week.

"Yes thank you...I'll have a Southern Comfort and diet coke please...Edward?" They both looked at me expectantly.

"Oh um...I'll have a coke please." I faked a convincing smile at the waitress and she stifled a fucking giggle

"Very Well." She winked as she left us in peace.

I turned back to Bella and waited for her to continue but she seemed distracted by the extensive menu.

"You were saying?" I couldn't help to probe deeper...I didn't like feeling pushed away.

"I think maybe I'll have the Salmon." She stated as she closed the binder in front of her and set it down on the table. "Or maybe the Fillet de beouf...What are you having?" She Asked nonchalantly.

"I don't know I didn't look yet..." I watched her for any sign she was going to talk but there was nothing. "The fillet sounds like my kind of think...I'll have that." I closed the menu without even glancing at the choices after that. I loved a good stake. "Bella you were going to tell me something?" I asked again and couldn't hide the concern in my voice.

"Oh yeah...It doesn't matter right now...I'll..." She was stalling.

"Are we ready to order yet?" The chipper Chelsea was back. Her hair was pulled up and swished from side to side as she almost skidded to a stop by our sides to set down our drinks. I'm glad she seemed graceful...I didn't really like the idea of wearing my drink.

No FUCK OFF!

"Yes thank you..." Bella answered sweetly. "I'd like the Fillet de beouf please."

"And for you sir?" The young woman asked.

"I'll have the same please." I never lifted my gaze from Bella; much to the waitress' disappointment.

"EDWARD CULLEN?" Fuck if I didn't know that voice.

I looked around but didn't miss Bella groan a little and curse under her breath.

"It's been too long bro'...Oh sorry I didn't know you had company...I'm sorry for the intrusion ma'am...Bella? Bella Swan?" Emmett's eyes shot back and forth between the two of us.

"Hey Emmett...How's things?" I ask casually as I noticed how he was looking at my girl. He looked like he wanted her in a way I wasn't comfortable with.

Fuck that!

"Oh you y'know...The usual...Oh this is Rosalie...My fiance." His arm pulled a blond into view and she looked more than embarrassed at him for interrupting us.

It didn't take long for his eyes to shift back to Bella. The fucker licked his lips and grinned down at her.

"Honey...You're drooling!" Rosalie glared at him before tutting and looking down her nose at my date.

"Bang...Bang." Bella mumbled in his direction and his features took on a harder set and he turned to kiss his partner's head.

"Emmett come on...Let's leave these good folks in peace to eat their meal." She sneered as she tried to pull him away from our table.

"It's ok baby...Eddie doesn't mind...We were best buddies back in high school...Speaking of that...when did you two get back together? I thought you two hated each other after you banged..."

"Emmet..."My tone was warning; I wasn't going to let him stand there and be disrespectful towards her again...I made that mistake once...Never again. "Would you mind terribly..."

The waitress brought out or food and started to set the plates in front of us and I was thankful for the intrusion this time.

"Oh yeah...sure." He smiled as her turned away.

"Thank fuck for that!" She sighed. "This smells really good.

"Can I get you anything else? Fresh drinks maybe?" she was bouncing slightly...They were definitely on the happy shit.

"Yeah the same again please." I smiled and she nodded and headed off towards the bar.

"Bang bang?" I quizzed as she chewed a small piece of meat off of her plate.

She swallowed hard. "You caught that huh?" She bit her lip nervously as if toying with the idea of sharing something she wasn't sure of. She cleared her throat "Um...He felt me up once and I threatened him."

I know I didn't just hear her right.

"He what?" I asked incredulously.

"I never said anything because you guys were friends...Even if I hated you with a fiery passion...I wouldn't ruin your friendship with him...Though technically we'd broken up so..." She pushed her plate away and rubbed her hands over her face while I felt myself stiffen and ball my fists up.

"Bella..." I wasn't sure I wanted to hear this.

"Ok...Do you remember the weekend before finals and graduation? A bunch of seniors decided to have a beach party and bonfire down in La Push." She asked

"Yeah...I didn't go because...well you know." I trailed off not wanting to relive my nightmares of losing her...even if I did think now that maybe it had been better for both of us in the long run. The pain was still there.

"Yeah...Well I went." She grimaced. "Anyway...I got myself acquainted with a gentleman..." I stiffened again. "...Named Jack Daniels and he became my companion for the night." She shrugged while here eyes begged for understanding. "Anyway...after a while most of the others had dissipated to 'do' other things like each other and skinny dipping..."

"Wait please tell me you didn't..." The thought of Bella running towards the shore...naked...flooded my mind and took me back to my favourite gutter and my pants became tight.

"No!" She chuckled. "I'm not that...Wasn't that kind of girl then...I probably would now though in a heartbeat...No I stayed by the fire letting the flames and Jack keep me warm. After about five minutes though Emmett came over and sat by my side. He asked why I wasn't doing the nuddy run with the others and nudged me; wiggling his eyebrows. I told him I was keeping Jack company and he asked if I was sharing. After a while he seemed to be even closer to me and my head had started to spin a little but I still knew that I didn't want him trying to kiss me as he had started trying to do. I pushed him away and told him to fuck off."

I hoped to god this wasn't going where I thought it was because I'd kill the son of a bitch if he...

"He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me to him again...only that time he grabbed me..." She looked a little ashamed as she pointed to her breasts. "He groped the shit out of me before I bit the son of a bitch's tongue when he shoved it into my mouth...Fuck even Humprey doesn't slobber _that_ much! He yelped...but let go saying he didn't see my problem seen as you'd broken me in..."

I winced at the pain in my chest as she used that analogy...And I definitely wanted to kill him now I'd learned this shit...The thought of his hands on her...forcefully.

"Please tell me he didn't..." I couldn't keep the anger and disgust out of my voice.

"Oh God no!" She chuckled...Which confused the fuck out of me again. " I threatened him...and he left in a huff." she shrugged her shoulder's again and I stared at her in shock at her casual attitude to it all.

"How the fuck did you threaten Emmett enough to leave you alone?" I thought about my old best fried and was glad we'd drifted apart over the years...I just wish I'd have seen how much of an asshole he was back then.

"I told him that if he ever tried to feel me up again or shove his foul tongue in my mouth...That I would go get my Daddy's gun and shoot off his testicles one by one...Then I'd tell my Dad what he'd done and let him deal with him too." She grinned and I couldn't help shaking my head in disbelief...Not at what she'd told me but about the dick that I used to associate and her threat...I could picture him scampering off cupping his balls.

I reached my hand out and covered hers. "You're amazing do you know that?" I chuckled as she bit her lip and arched her eyebrows at me.

"No I'm not." She straightened up and moved her hand to brush her hair back.

Ok there it was again. The cold front was creeping back in and I didn't like it.

"Was there something wrong with the food?" Chelsea asked in confusion at the amount of un-touched food on our plates.

"Oh no sorry...It was delicious." Bella Corrected her.

"Yeah apparently it was so delicious that you left it." She huffed before faking a smile as I had earlier.

"Yes I did." I could tell she was losing her cool and I asked for the bill before she could offer to fetch her 'Daddy's' gun and shoot the poor girl's...

We left shortly after and I drove her home.

We sat in the car outside her place and turned off the ignition. I wanted her so badly but didn't know if she would be in the mood for demanding Edward again.

"I'm sorry I haven't been much company lately." Her words were almost a whisper as she let her head fall against the rest and closed her eyes.

"You've been amazing company." I smiled weakly while internally I pined for my feisty Bella back.

"You're a bad liar Edward...I've just had some stuff on my mind lately." I hoped she meant me.

"You want to talk about it." I asked as I looked at her profile, longing to be upstairs with her already and touching her everywhere...Feeling every part of her and hearing her say my name while I bring her to an orgasm or two...or three...or to the point where she stops counting...

"Not right now...I still have some things to sort out in my head first..I will talk to you about it though just..not yet." She brushed her arm against mine before leaning over and kissing me lightly on the lips. I wanted more and tried to press against her mouth with more vigour..but she pulled away.

"Do you mind if I don't invite you in tonight? I'm kind of tired..." She trailed off as she looked at me then quickly averted her gaze to the building in front of her. I could have sworn I saw tears.

"Ok course not...Bella..." I wanted to hold her and kiss her and worship her...I wanted her to talk to me and tell me why she was pulling away.

Fuck is this how she felt when I pulled this shit on her?

I suddenly hated myself for ever hurting her.

She popped her seat belt and left my car feeling cold and empty. I watched her up to the door of her building and responded by smiling and waving back after she'd turned and smiled at me before the door closed her off from my view.

I drove home and flicked the button to play my messages.

_'Hi Eddie...How's things?'_

Fucked up thanks for asking stalker bitch.

I grabbed a beer and sighed as the amber liquid slid down my throat.

_'Hey Edward just calling to see what you're up to tomorrow night? I have a friend that I think you might like...Her names Felicity and shes really nice and I wondered if you'd be interested...? Let me know ok? She's got some kind of work function and I told her about you and..._

I stopped listening and let her voice ramble in the background.

_'...and she's really nice...I said that already didn't I...Oh well she really IS nice._

I got up and fast tracked to my next message.

_'Hey it's me'_

Bella's sweet voice filled my ears and thoughts of her washed through me.

_'So I have this stupid Christmas party to go to tomorrow and I was wondering if...maybe you wanted to go? I really don't feel like going but I have to show my face for at least an hour I guess. I should have asked earlier...I know it's short notice...sorry...If not don't worry about it...If you can make it it's at seven, thirty in our schools gym...I know; the height of luxury huh? I'll see you there if you decide to come...Oh yeah it's kind of fancy dress...Good night Edward...sweet dreams.'_

A fucking fancy dress party?

I guess I could have some fun with that.

**Oh any guesses to his costume? I already know what it is...And will be uploading a picture to acompany the next chapter of him in it...just please bare in mind that I'm no professional photoshop wizz and it's only to give you a help with the visual...*Sigh***

**So review with your thoughts on this chapter and what you think he'll turn up as...If anyone gets it right I'll give them a shout out lol.**

**Again I apologies for lack of updates and I will try my best to rectify the situation now I know I have the means.**

**Until next time...**


	20. Chapter 19

**Well I guess I don't blame you for not wanting to review that last chapter much...I did leave you waiting.**

**Sooooooo............Fancy dress fun? I'm thinking it's Edwards turn to leave Bella panting...**

**Chapter 19**

Bella's POV

I couldn't tell him.

I'd arranged to meet him so I could spill about the whole moving thing...and I choked.

I'd flopped on my bed after calling to leave Edward a message and closed my eyes in an attempt to shut out the world. I'd left it too late to tell him. I'd managed to break all my own rules and fallen for him willingly and I knew I was going to get hurt.

I also knew that he'd noticed my distance and struggled to understand it.

Well what was I going to say?

'Oh hey Edward...You know how I told you I don't do relationships and didn't fall in love? Well surprise I did! with you! Do you want to go get married and have babies and shit together? No? Ok then I'm leaving!

No.

I was stuck between a rock and a hard place and getting crushed fast.

I should never have started this.

But then if I hadn't...I wouldn't have had the most amazing two weeks of my life with the man I professed to hate.

Eight days.

That's all I had left to get through. Eight days before leaving this town for good.

Eight days before my world would crumble again as it did before.

I would tell him.

Sleep over took me not long after.

_I dreamt I was stood in the airport waiting to leave for phoenix._

_I think the entire town was leaving on the same plane because there were hundreds of people that seemed to be pushing me along. Once I got to the gate I started looking around for something that I'd forgotten and needed badly but I didn't know what it was I was looking for._

_"Miss...If you could just make your way through the doors and on to the plane...Miss..." An attendant ushered me._

_"Wait no! I can't, I have to...I've lost it!" I started to get hysterical and rumbling sobs broke from my chest._

_"Lost what Miss?" She asked with a face that looked as real as a Barbie. Her features were fixed like plastic too._

_"My chance...I've lost my chance to tell him..." I broke down and crumpled to the back and fourth like a child. "I've lost my chance." This time it came out as barely more than a whisper._

_"Miss you need to get on the plane now if you're wanting to make it to your new job" Wait how did she know about that? _

_"I...I lost it..." My head hung low in despair._

_Then the sweetest voice whispered from behind me_

_"You haven't lost it Bella...I love you too."_

I woke with a start with tears streaming down my face and sobs still shaking me.

"It was just a dream..." I lay back and pulled my pillow round to hug. "It was just a dream."

It had been just a dream...But I had to tell him that I loved him...Even if he didn't want anything more than what we had.

I would leave on the twenty fourth as planned if he didn't want me...I would be broken; but I knew that already, and I wouldn't be able to breathe if I stayed here if he didn't feel the same...But if he did...If he gave me a reason to stay then I would in a heart beat. I would stay and be with him...I would let everyone know how much I loved that man.

But I knew he wouldn't and I had to prepare myself for when he rejected me.

I dragged my sorry ass out of bed and made a start on my day. I took a shower, brushed my teeth,dressed and then headed out to the coffee shop on the corner for a bagel and an espresso. I was in serious need of a caffeine fix.

I sat idiling at a booth in the window and watched the world go by. Everywhere I looked there seemed to be fucking couples managing to steal a precious few seconds with their loved one to share an embrace or a kiss so tender it could melt the heart. Tears filled my eyes as I watched these private little escapades.

Why was I crying?

Maybe I was due my fucking period already

Edward...My eyes flooded again and I knew he was the reason for my stupid feelings.

My phone buzzed and I pulled it out and slid it open when I saw the word pixie on the screen.

"Hey Alice...What's up?"

"I just wanted to check you..." She paused and listened intently. "Bella are you crying? Honey what's wrong?"

"Nothing Alice...I'm fine...I just..."

"Where are you?" She quizzed.

"I'm at the Coffee Pot on Harbour Road."

"Stay there...I'm coming over...I could use a coffee anyway."

I didn't argue...I was in no mood to leave just yet so I ordered another Espresso and downed it in one while I waited.

Twenty minutes later the little bell on the door chimed and I heard her order.

"I'll have a Latte and..." She looked around until she spotted me then turned back to the woman. "...and another of whatever she's having." She pointed me out before walking over and plopping down in the seat across from me. "So...Angry...Depressed...Mad at the world?"

"All of the above."

"Wow that bad huh? That can only mean one thing...A man is involved."

I remained vague about the whole man thing. I didn't want her getting any idea's or figuring shit out about me and her brother.

We talked for over an hour before we went our separate ways...She'd accomplished her mission and cheered me up...and promised to stop by later to help me get ready for the Christmas party.

I walked home feeling a little lighter but still worrying how to tell Edward that I was leaving...and that I loved him and would stay if he wanted me too.

I spent most of the afternoon reading my battered up copy of Wuthering Heights and pondering what I still had to do before leaving for Arizona while trying to stop my foot from bouncing from all the caffeine.

A little before five Alice showed up and set to on my hair and make up for the party. I decided on a nineteenth century style dress in blood red; the bodice was designed like a corset and laced up at the front...giving me the best fucking cleavage ever and it was trimmed with pretty white lace around the quarter length sleeves and around the bottom...there was a little flourish of it edging my bust nicely too. I got it on eBay and it only arrived a couple of days ago.

Alice held out the gown as I stepped into it and helped me pull it up my body.

I wondered if Edward was going to show up or not tonight and if he did...What the hell would he be wearing? I envisioned him turning up as a caveman or a pirate...All the usual's swam around in my head while Alice yanked with all her might to tighten and lace up the front of my corset.

"Fuck Alice! I need to breathe!" I chuckled as I sucked in a huge breath.

She actually stood me against the wall and used the flat surface behind me for leverage.

"Shut it up and suck it up Bella!" She growled back as she finally reached the top. "Women are supposed to suffer to look good sometimes....There!" She declared herself finished and I let out as big a breath as this thing would allow.

I stood admiring it in the full length mirror on the inside of my closet door.

I loved it!

Alice had pinned up most of my hair but left some in loose curls down over one shoulder with the rest pinned into intricate barrel curls on the crown of my head. She decorated it with a few small red flowers that she wired in.

My make up was clean and simple except for the streak of red gloss coating my lips.

I felt like I'd just stepped out of once of my favourite classics.

"Alice you're amazing!" I turned to hug her.

"Yeah I know...But you're hot too...I needed a quality canvas to start with." She grinned, tilting her head to the side and folding her arms in front of her while she looked me up and down. "I'm going to miss you so much when you leave Bella..." She lowered her gaze to the floor.

"I know Alice...I'm going to miss you too, But you'll always be my BFF."

--------------

The Party was very loud and the entire faculty staff had turned up to take advantage of the free punch.

Everywhere was covered in green and red while tinsel adorned everything; a huge Christmas tree stood in the corner looking very imposing and unstable. I could see it toppling onto some unsuspecting drunk later in the night.

Last Christmas blared out of an enormous speaker and I'd been sat in the corner of the gym being bored to death by Mr Gabble for the past half hour and was considering using the ties from the front of my dress to hang myself...Ok so it wasn't quite that bad but fuck the man could talk. He was one of the science teachers and was trying to enlighten me in the fascinating world of slug mating rituals.

Angela Webber... My co-worker and friend extrodinaire finally spotted me and realised my plight.

"Oh hey Michael...I think I just saw some kids trying to steal your bike!" She feigned.

He was up and off within a second.

"Thank you!" I groaned as she sat in his empty seat.

"You looked like you were a Damsel in distress...I love the costume by the way!" She ran her hand over the fabric in awe.

"Thanks...I like yours too." She was dressed as Marie Antoinette...complete with the big hair and all. "I guess my prince isn't coming to sweep me off my feet and ride me off into the sun set tonight." My face rested on my hand in defeat as I resigned myself to a lonely night.

"I don't know about that but I wouldn't mind riding that into the sun set!" She giggled and I followed her gaze to the door.

I think I died.

Edward Cullen was slowly walking over to where we were sat wearing a crisp white, naval officer's uniform.

My mind suddenly tuned everything out but the two of us and Up Where We Belong started playing in my mind.

"Hi." His words didn't fully register.

"H..o..l..y f..u..c..k!" I breathed as I finally snapped back to reality.

"I'm just going...to get a drink or something." Angela rushed as she stood to move. She turned so Edward couldn't see her and winked at me; sticking out her tongue and biting it before walking off leaving me with Edward and my furious blush.

He sat in her seat and lifted my hand to his mouth; leaving me a chaste kiss on the back.

"I thought you weren't coming." I whispered, worried that my desire would be to evident in my voice.

"I'm sorry I'm late. Alice called just before I was leaving and I made the mistake of answering..." He chuckled.

"Enough said." I stopped him.

My eyes couldn't help raking over him in that costume. I didn't every remember telling him about my swoon fest for men in uniform...especially that one!

The music slowed down and everyone was snuggling up and using the opportunity to rub up against one another.

"So if I asked you to dance would you accept?" He leaned in closer to me so I could hear him better and his breath on my skin sent a shiver through me.

"You of all people should know I don't dance...Seriously...I'm a health and safety hazard." I Shook my head at him.

He sighed loudly before standing up. He walked behind my chair and scooped me up by the waist; carried me over onto the dance floor then set me back on my feet. I gulped hard as he wrapped one arm around my waist then clasped his other with mine; holding it up in between us.

I wasn't as bad as I thought I'd be. He led me well and I didn't even have to keep looking at my feet.

Most of the night was spent on the dance floor or sat talking with some of my colleagues who'd all conveniently not mentioned my impending departure.

Every now and again someone would whisper to me how Edward and I made a fantastic couple and I couldn't help agreeing.

Everything was winding down a little after midnight and Edward stole me for one more dance before we left...But it wasn't on the dance floor with everyone else...It was out by the main doors under a conveniently placed piece of mistletoe. the music was faint in the background and there was no one else around as he wrapped me in his arms.

"You have no idea what that uniform does to me Edward Cullen." I bit my lips and he chuckled at me.

"Ma'am...I've been at sea for the past six months and surrounded by testosterone...I have been granted an eight hour shore leave and I'm in desperate need of some...company." He brushed the tip of his nose along my jaw as his whispered his words.

Breathe...Remember to breathe Bella.

I was in danger of fainting as a result of hs want for me and the effects of wearing this ridiculously tight corset.

"Take me...I'm your's" My breathing was heavy as his lips caressed the bare exposed tops of my breasts.

I was his...In every way.

He looked up into my eyes and I melted at the emotion I saw from my simple statement.

gingerly he leaned down and kissed me; gently to start with until the fire between us had been ignited then we crashed together with need.

We were finally interupted by people leaving the gym and heading out to the parking lot.

We didn't release our hold on each other though...We just stayed there looking into the others eyes.

Just then a loud crash and a number of gasps errupted from the other side of the doors

"I'm ok! I'm ok!" Someone drunkenly yelped.

We decided to call it a night and made our way out to Edward's Volvo. He'd not been drinking and I was very glad we weren't going to have to rely on a cab.

The drive home was in silence yet it was in no way awkward.

It was needed.

He walked me up to my door into the same manner and never spoke a word as he took me into his arms and smothered my mouth with his. Our lips brushed forcibly together; he wasted no time in seeking passage into my mouth and I moaned as he stroked my tongue with his slowly.

Something was different.

This wasn't how I was used to us being together.

This was slow and sensual...Deliberate.

He didn't seem to be in his usual hurry to get me naked and was spending his time making sure he'd left me breathless with every kiss.

I pulled away and stole his cap; placing it on my own head as I turned to face him but walked backwards towards my room. His grin spread and he licked his lips as he followed me. He closed the distance between us and wrapped his arms around my waist...Leading me as if we were dancing over to my bed. He pulled of the cap and threw it behind him before cupping my face in his hands and kissing me again leaving me panting.

When he broke the kiss he looked deep into my eyes and brushed a hand through my hair.

That one single moment when we'd looked into each others eyes had been beautiful and I suddenly filled with hope.

"That dress looks amazing on you but you know what...? I think it would look even better on the floor." He whispered in my ear before caressing me with his soft lips again while his fingers started to pull the ties at the front of my gown.

My body sighed in relief as my fabric binding started to work loose; allowing me to take deep lungs full of oxygen...and more of Edward's scent.

My head felt light as his mouth moved down the column of my throat. He gently tugged down my dress until it dropped and pooled at my feet; exposing me to him with only a small pair of red lace panties to cover my modesty. Every thought other than him left my subconscious as I quivered under his touch. My hands shakily made there way up to unbutton the white jacket covering him and again we'd fallen into silence. He continued to look into my eyes as I blindly fumbles to remove his clothes. Once I was done, my hands slid under the fabric and pushed slowly up his chest before pushing the material off of his shoulders, allowing it to drop with a gentle thud on the ground by my dress. I took my time with his belt and he never tried to hurry things up at all...This was about more than just sex. I tugged at his trousers until they joined the rest of our clothes and nearly fell over laughing.

Edward stood before me in a pair of red boxer briefs adorned with little elf's that were flipping off.

"Oh my god!" I laughed as he wiggled his eyebrows at me before cracking up with me.

"What? I nearly turned up in just these." He pulled me close again and enveloped me in his arms.

"I'm glad you chose the uniform." My laughter had calmed into merely more than a chuckle.

I was silenced though by his lips re-capturing mine and our previous state of intensity took hold of me again. Our underwear also got removed and he lowered me onto my bed while keeping himself on extended arms. I purred as his hands ran the length of my body and his mouth took one of my nippled deeply into it's warmth. He lapped and teased it with his tongue and I thought I'd die from the contact. Once he thought it had had enough treatment he moved on to the other and made sure to lavish it with the same attention. My hands roamed him lovingly and decided to end their trail in his hair. I pulled on the tips teasingly...loving how it caused him to moan lowly in his chest.

He finally allowed our bodies to press together and it wasn't enough. I could feel his erection pressing into my thigh as we started to roll around with more passion on my bed.

"Edward please." I gasped when I broke our kiss for air. "I need you inside me." I grabbed his face and brought his eyes to meet mine as I spoke.

He nodded knowingly as I wrapped my legs around him to allow him entrance. My eyes rolled from his initial thrust and stayed that way while he settled into an exquisite rhythm that left me panting as I felt the coil tightening within me...begging for it's release...my release.

I lost any sense of time as he moved within me and took me deeper into bliss. Every thrust left me gasping...Every touch left me longing.

I could tell he was getting close too as I was because he tried to remain gentle but I could feel his need and intensity building.

I smiled and begged him with my eyes to let it go and give in to his want and he seemed to get the message...causing my eyes to roll again and my toes curls as I started to teeter on the edge...trying to hold on until I heard the tell tale grunting in his moans.

My body started to shake as I clung on to the last fibre of sanity I had left as he started to move more frantically while dropping his head forehead to mine.

"Let...it...g go Bella." He breathed as his own eyes fluttered shut and he growled lowly as his pleasure overtook him. I exploded around him and growled back as I lost my mind in the flood of gratification my body had reached.

He collapsed on top of me, yet shielding me from his entire weight, and snuggled into my hair. We were both were heaving and sweaty but the moment was perfect...Like our first time had been.

We spent hours just looking at one another and tracing each other as we lay in the silence with only the muffled sounds of the city behind us.

After a while I drifted off into a peaceful slumber...but not for long.

My dreams turned once again to the airport and once again it woke me up in cold sweats and tears. I looked over to him looking so angelic and couldn't take the feeling of dread that engulfed my heart painfully.

I carefully removed his arm from my waist and climbed off of the bed; walked into the sitting room and propped myself by the window so I could watch the world as it continued to turn. I must have been there for a while because the sky had begun to lighten and the birds had begun there song...and a very warm pair of arms snaked around me and pulled me close to their owner.

"You were gone." He nuzzled my ear and kissed just below it tenderly.

"Sorry I couldn't sleep." I turned into him and closed my eyes as he traced my jaw with his nose.

"So how long do we have before you go to Phoenix to visit your mother and Phil?" He asked casually.

"Um six days." My eyes stung and flooded with tears as I realised it was time to tell him.

"And how many days before you come back?" He chuckled and made his way down to my collar.

"I'm not." The first salty tear fell as I couldn't stop the pain from filling me.

"You're not what?" He asked in confusion...finally lifting his gaze to mine.

More tears rolled effortlessly down my cheeks and his realisation sunk in.

"Oh." He stumbled backwards a little but never looked away from me.

**Oh............**

**Sorry for the sort of cliffy but this chapter is my longest yet and I could make it go on and on but I don't want to...It just means there'll be a chapter or two more.**

**Mabye if you review it'll lift my mood and kick my ass into hurrying up with the next one.**

**So please REVIEW!!!!!!!!**

**And don't forget to peek at Edward on my profile**


	21. Chapter 20

**Thank you to everyone that reviewed again for me and continuing to show your support as always and I'm glad you haven't seemed to give up on me just yet lol.**

**I'm not going to do a long winded AN this time because I know I left you hanging so what's he going to do know?**

Bella's POV

"Edward I'm sorry I didn't tell you before now but..." My eyes flowed freely with tears as I finally told him of my plans to leave. "...but the longer I left it...the harder it seemed to get." I dropped my gaze to the floor and watched as salty droplets fell to the ground while I waited for him to reply.

Nothing.

He walked with glazed eyes over to the couch and dropped onto it; the silence was deafening and I felt compelled to keep explaining my self.

"I applied for a teaching post at a school in phoenix a couple of months ago and got offered a position there three weeks ago..." I trailed off again hoping for some kind of response from him; again he just sat there rubbing his hands over his face.

I figured I should try and be patient with him and I let the sight of his bare chest distract me for a moment.

"Six days...That's all we have left?" He finally spoke with a hint of desperation that I'm sure he thought I wouldn't notice.

"Yes." I whispered as I lowered myself next to him.

"Then I guess we better make them count huh?"

I decided right then to keep my love for him to myself. I would take whatever he would give me before leaving and in six day's I would kiss him goodbye and walk away from him for the second time.

Edward's POV

Pain filled me and doubt had pulled me under.

I could hear her talking but nothing else registered after 'I'm not'.

She was going to be leaving Washington for good.

"Six days...That's all we have left?" I asked hoping to keep the desperation out of my voice.

"Yes." She whispered before sitting next to me on the couch.

My head was messed up so much and I said the first thing that came to mind.

"Then I guess we better make them count huh?"

Her eyes closed and she nodded.

We sat in silence again for a while longer before she started to yawn. I stood up and held out my hand to her...she needed to sleep.

She took it and followed me back into her room where we curled up together in her bed. I held her against my chest and nuzzled my face into her hair while she silently sobbed herself to sleep.

I had a lot of shit to sort out in my head and I wanted nothing more than to go back to before I knew she was leaving. It was suddenly as if someone had flipped an hour glass and the grains of sand were numbered to get 'that shit' sorted.

I watched her sleeping while my mind spun. Becoming a grown up had done nothing to settle my resolve...I was still as confused as I had been at seventeen and still had no certainty of what my feelings for her were. I knew I felt empty without her...lost...unable to function properly and when we were together everything made sense...But was it really love...? Or infatuation with a woman that had made me feel alive and whole for the first time in my life?

"I lost it...No I...I...don't...." She mumbled and fresh tears spilled from her dreaming eyes.

I pulled her closer and inhaled her deeply before drifting off into my own tormented slumber.

I became aware of her stroking my hair back off of my face before I even opened my eyes and relished in the sweetness of the moment. She thought I was still asleep.

I kept still and tried to breath evenly.

"You're not fooling anyone Edward Cullen...I know you're awake." She chinned.

I kept silent...I was better at acting than she was and managed to keep up my facade.

Her hands started to roam over my body and I had to concentrate hard so I didn't give myself away by shivering under her touch.

"I bet I can prove you're awake" She challenged with a giggle but I remained to appear deep in sleep.

Her hands began their course down my body in lazy little strokes until they met with the waist band of my pyjama pants.

O...oh...

Her hand dipped into them and brushed against my length with the lightest touch.

My dick twitched...

Fucking traitor!

"See I knew you were feigning!" She removed her hand from my pants and pushed me when my mouth finally pulled up into a crooked smile.

I sighed and finally opened my eyes to her...My god she was beautiful.

The impending gloom of her departure was still thick in the air but for now we would have what ever this was and enjoy each others company.

"You do know you dangled the carrot in front of him now right?" I took her hand and pressed it into my throbbing arousal; hissing at the contact.

"I can see how that would be a problem." She purred as she delved into my pants again, grabbing me firmly and running her thumb over my head.

I couldn't help the growl that rumbled primitively from deep within my chest.

"I think my condition has flared back up...What was the diagnosis again? I teased as I moved to get more comfortable so I could enjoy my pleasure more.

"Mi...dix...a...rising." She giggled as she over pronounced it.

"That was it." I nodded as she stroked me harder. "MMMMmmmmm fuck Bella that feels good."

Part of me felt like this was wrong...that we shouldn't...but the bigger part of me wanted her while I could have her and six days wasn't a long time...or nearly enough.

I removed her hand from me and lifted them above her head; holding them in my own while I tried to find answers in her eyes...But all I saw was lust...with underlying confusion and hurt which I didn't understand at all.

She was holding something back but leaned up to kiss me anyway and for that moment we let go of everything else and melted into each other.

She lifted one of her hands from my grasp and cupped it to my face, pushing it up further into my hair while I kissed the tip of her nose gingerly. Her touch left the hairs on the back of my neck standing up and my body tingling everywhere and I wanted nothing more than to be buried within her warmth. I'm pretty sure she wanted the same as her hips seemed to press into me causing an exquisite friction. My eyes closed of their own accord and my mouth moulded to her lips; begging for immediate access. She moaned into my mouth as I stroked her tongue with my own...tasting her...she was always so sweetly intoxicating . I rolled us so I was above her and her feet pushed themselves into the waist band of my pants; pushed them down until I could rid myself of them with my own feet and I made quick work of her tank top and shorts that she'd put on when she got up earlier. My lips made there way to her shoulder and closed around the skin at the base of her throat; nibbling and biting enough to leave my mark on her usually unblemished skin and to elicit more beautiful little noises from her...ones that kept me hungry for her. She wrapped her legs around me again and pushed me towards her want. I didn't leave her waiting as I pushed into her willingly.

"Oh god!" She gasped and I couldn't help the grin that spread on my face from knowing I caused that reaction in her.

We didn't rush.

I wanted to savour the time we had left.

For every push I gave she pulled me...drawing me closer to that perfect moment of complete bliss...that moment of pure unadulterated happiness and contentment.

Her body arched under me and our skin glistened, slick with heat; causing the soft curves of her breasts to crush against my chest as I wrapped my arm around her waist...pulling her up off the bed to match my thrusts. Her legs wrapped tighter around me but the sheen on our skin made them slip and we both giggled at the dilemma it caused...The penetration was deeper from this angle but the perspiration made it harder to achieve. I picked her up completely so we were sat up. Her arms wrapped around me as our bodies moved together. Our breathing was as intense as the sensations running through us and our kisses became fueled by need.

"UUnnngghhh...uuunnnggghhhh! Edward." She moaned only being silenced by my tongue invading her mouth...coaxing her own to meet me half way.

My mouth closed around her bottom lip and pulled it slightly; I growled from my building imminent orgasm and let it go again as my head fell back in ecstasy. My name started to fall from her lips on repeat and I could feel her tightening around me; causing my release to reach boiling point.

"I'm co...co..coming...I'm...Oh Shhhiiiitttttt Edwaaaarrdddd!" She moaned as she started to shake in my arms.

"That's it beautiful..." I panted as I climbed the last inch to join her." You're dirty little mouth....Uuunnngghhhh fuck Bellllaaaa!" I grunted as I buried the last few strokes needed into her to send me fucking soaring. My eyes shut tightly and my hips bucked uncontrollably as I came within seconds of Bella.

I kept her locked in my arms as our heaving breaths calmed and our hearts slowed in their race.

"Is that how you want us to make the most of our time left together? She panted and smiled against my collar.

"Six days of this?" I asked chuckling as I tried to ignore the fresh wave of pain that flooded my chest.

We curled back up under the covers and stayed there for what could have been minutes or hours...it didn't matter.

"Bella." I asked quietly.

"MMmmm Yes." She nudged my chin with her nose playfully.

"You are going to visit right?" I sounded like a four year old that was searching for reassurance from a parent.

She was quiet for too long and I knew that meant no...or at least..not very often.

"Yes Edward...I'll visit. I've been friends with your sister for like...forever and I doubt she'd take too kindly to me disappearing out of her life completely." She chuckled trying to make it sound light hearted but I wasn't fooled...especially when I felt a single tear graze the skin of my shoulder beneath her.

"Will you come by to see me too?" I asked knowing the answer already.

"I don't know if that will be such a good idea..." I felt her tremble a little. "You'll probably have some gorgeous blond hanging off your arm by then and won't want me interrupting your little paradise."

"No I won't. I don't even like blonds" Now I sounded like a defiant teenager determined to prove my peers wrong. "I'm like you for the 'never getting in too deep stuff remember." My heart faltered with that sentence.

"Yeah...I know." She choked before trying to change the subject. "I wonder what time it is." She rolled over me to reach out onto her nightstand. "Oh my god it's gone two in the afternoon already." I wrapped my arms tighter around her before she could think about leaving this bed...only under pain of death would I let her go right now...or unless she had to use the bathroom anyway.

"Who cares...It's Sunday...People are supposed to stay in bed on a Sunday." I grinned as she perched herself up on my chest with a mischievous look on her face.

"Yes people do stay in bed on a Sunday...but they have to get up when they know their best friend is stopping by at three o'clock in the afternoon."

"WHAT! Oh fuck! Wait...that means i have to bail....Shit!" She giggled as she watched me gather all my shit together and try to get dressed. I sat on the edge of the bed while trying to pull on my pants.

She crawled up behind me and started to kiss and lick my neck making my thoughts muddled up...I knew I had to move my ass and leave before the pixie got her...but fuck having her mouth on me like that felt amazing and I started wanting her all over again.

"Bella don't...UUuunnngghhhh." I groaned as she worked her way around to my Adam's apple.

"Don't what?" She whispered seductively before climbing around into my lap and kissing and nibbling my earlobe. My fucking eyes rolled into the back of my head and goose bumps covered my arms.

"Fuck it." I lifted her, spun around and crashed down on top of her in the space of three seconds...leaving her gasping for breath after kissing the fuck out of her.

I didn't stop though. I left her mouth searching for oxygen while I worked my way down to her collar...then down to her softly swollen breasts...palming...lapping...nipping...everything I could think of to do to them I did and my reward was to feel her writhing around beneath me.

"Oh fuck." She growled when I ventured further south...taking her heated bud between my teeth and gently nibbling it. She was laid out on the bed in front of me while I was knelt on the floor between her legs tasting her to the fullest. I ran my tongue up and down her entrance before pushing it just inside her...probing lightly but enough to have her grabbing my hair and pushing me further to her. "RRRRrrrgggggghhhhhhhhhh."

Within minutes she was ready to pop...explode into bliss.

And trust my fucking little sister to cock block me!

Bella's POV

Edward fell backwards when a loud knocking disturbed I was so close to!

I giggled as he was suddenly on his feet and grabbing around for his stuff again.

"And just how do you plan on getting out past her now?" I quizzed as I made a grab for my previously removed clothing.

"You could distract her then I could sneak out when she's not looking." He looked hopeful but I just shook my head.

"Won't work."

Knock Knock Knock.

"Bella?" A dainty voice called.

"Fuck! What about the fire escape?" he suggested.

"I have a better idea...Why don't you wait in here...and then when she's gone...You can finish what you started." I grinned before he kissed me fiercely and I could taste myself on his lips.

He agreed to wait it out while I entertained Alice for an hour or so...I really hoped it wasn't going to be a long visit.

I straightened my hair quickly before pulling open the door to greet her.

"Shit Bella you look like you had a rough night and have only just got out of bed." She eyed me sceptically.

"Um yeah...I hit the punch a little too hard and spent the whole of the morning paying for it today." My face flushed scarlet but she just put it down to the fact I'd just got up in the middle of the afternoon. "Alice...What is all that?" I asked gesturing to the multitude of shopping bags in her hands.

"Oh I bought you some early Christmas presents seen as I'm not going to see you in like forever." Her eyes sunk to the floor for a minute before she shook some thought away and giggled back up at me. "I got you some serious panty arsenal for when you hook up in phoenix with some hot guy." She lifted a pink Victoria Secrets bag first. "Then just some new stuff to wear at work when you start your new job." She lifted all the other bags and waved them from side to side in front of my face.

"Alice... It's not going to be forever you know." I chuckled at her exaggeration.

"I know...But it will be too long how ever long it is." She pouted. "I'm just going to drop these in you room.

FUCK!

"Alice wait!"

**Well another one down...not too many more to go.**

**Will Alice find Edward in Bella's bedroom? Will she rumble their little party? Will Edward ever sort out the shed that is his mind?**

**Tune in next time to...........BETTER IN TIME!**

**if you can spare the minute needed to review then please do...They keep me motivated.**


	22. Chapter 21

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed that last chapter for me even though I left you with a cliffy lol. I'm getting so close to the 300 mark and would love to get there with this one. It was a little heart breaking to writing bits of this one but it also fed me ideas for the next chapter so woohoo!**

**I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it...not bad for something that started out as a whim and is now at chapter 21...and still going. But all things come to an end and the end is in sight for this story too. I doubt there will be more than 5 left after this one...I do know though what I want to do with my next one...I have two idea's rolling around in my head and of course I do plan on doing more of Could Edward come to the diary room.**

**Anyway...So Alice was about to go barging into Bella's room...Where Edward is...**

Bella's POV

Oh fuck!

There was no way I could let her waltz in there! Not with Edward at the other side of the door...She'd throw a fucking bitch fit if she found him here after everything.

I had to think fast.

"What?" She asked in confusion.

"Um...Aren't you thirsty after all that shopping? Come in the kitchen and I'll make us a coffee while you tell me what you and Jasper have planned for New Year's." I tried to loop my arm through hers and steer her away from my room door.

"Oh...Coffee sounds great!" She almost squealed.

Thank fuck for that!

I started pulling her to the kitchen when she suddenly stopped dead.

"Wait a minute!"

Oh no!

"Why do you look freshly fucked?" Her arm unlocked from mine and crossed with the other over her chest while her eyes narrowed at me.

"I..pfff...What?...Alice ?" Oh great my stuttering was always a sure sign to her I was avoiding something. "I told you...I..."

"Drank all the punch at the party...Yeah...I'm not buying it. Did you hook up last night? OHMYGODISHESTILLHERE?" she started fucking bouncing before charging over to my room.

"ALICE NO!" I tried to run to stop her but was too late.

I turned around and cringed in anticipation of her wrath...It didn't come.

"Oh..." She pouted. "I hoped to catch the guy and interrogate him for you...You know...Make sure he knew not to fucking hurt you.

Wait...what the?

I pushed past her and glanced around the room in confusion.

Where the fuck did he go?!!!!!!!!!!!

She walked over to my window and I quickly checked under the bed, straightening up again as I noticed her turning back around to me. He wasn't there either and I brushed a stray piece of hair back behind my ear...blowing out a gust of air and she once again looked sceptical. "I guess I can put these in the closet now."

She glanced around at me while she opened the door and my eyes immediately fell on her brother mouthing the words 'Oh fuck!' at me before ducking down in the far corner trying to hide behind my clothes

I couldn't help the little squeak that escaped me as she turned around and looked over my wardrobe.

"I wish you'd just let me sort this out for you Bella...I mean really...Would it kill you to wear some sheer fabrics or bold prints?" She noticed the fear in my eyes and mistook it for reluctance of her suggestions to update my clothes. "Jeez you don't have to look so worried! It was only a suggestion." She reached out and took a hanger from the rail from right next to his hiding place and lifted it against her..."I mean have you really ever worn this?"

She held out a rose coloured strapless dress that I had bought for the Prom...My senior prom that I was supposed to go to with Edward but we broke up not long before it...I couldn't bring myself to throw it out though.

"Alice that was my prom dress." I mumbled at the memories as she turned to me once more.

Edward's head shot back out and gave me a pained look at my words.

"Bella you didn't GO to prom." She shook her head at me before putting her arm on my shoulder.

"I know but that...that was the dress I bought to wear...before...It's still my size though so you never know." My heart ached at monumental moment in my life that I never got to have ...a rite of passage that I missed...One that I wished with my whole heart I could have gone to and danced with Edward, who would have looked so handsome in a tux.

My eyes stung but refused to let one tear fall. I'd cried enough today.

She started to turn back around and he ducked again out of view as she hung the dress back on the rail...not wanting to push the issue any further. She closed the door and pulled me back out into the sitting room and out through to the kitchen for the fore mentioned caffeine hit.

We talked for what felt like an eternity about anything and everything.

"So you going to tell me about your plans for New Year or not Alice Cullen?" I was desperate to try and think of something else.

"Oh right...Well Jazz and I are taking a trip...TO PARIS!" She squealed and jumped up and down like a fucking jack hammer.

"Wow Alice! That's amazing honey!" I was genuinely pleased for her.

"I know right? Oh Bella...Paris...can you imagine? The food...the wine...the romance..."

"The shopping..." I quipped.

"Oh god all those boutiques. I love french fashion...You KNOW how much I love their fashion." She swooned.

"Poor Jasper!" I guffawed as her eyes refocused from what ever little french fantasy she was lost in.

"He'll live!" She chuckled. "Oh and he's taking me on a midnight cruise on the Seine to watch the fireworks by the Eiffel Tower to let the New Year in."

"It sounds perfectly you Alice." I tried to sound chipper for her as thoughts of how I was planning on spending the New Year flitted through my mind...Holed up in my new apartment...Alone and reading a story that will probably be filled with romance and requited love...I'll spend the evening crying into a bottle of wine for one and pass out even before the count down begins.

"I can't believe you haven't even started to pack yet Bella...You leave in six days!" She chuckled looking around all my stuff.

"I know...I've been putting it off." I shrugged.

"Why? Bella is everything ok? You seem a little distant and so very not interested anymore in this move...I thought it's what you wanted honey?" She turned her head back to me and I had to fight the waterfall again.

"I did...I do." I whispered as my mind filled with every reason to leave and the only reason to stay.

Edward had reminded me only an hour ago about the whole no relationship thing and how we were alike...That was the reason I had no choice in the matter anymore...I had to go. Our little game had to end. Even if I wasn't leaving it was already well past the point I should have cut loose.

Clean break.

"Bella if you're not sure..." She hugged me as I lost my battle to not cry.

She cradled my head to her tiny frame in such a nurturing way.

After a minute or two though I straightened up and wiped away my tears...Building my wall back up to create a dam. "No Alice...I have to go. I have to get away and start living my life for me.

She decided that I really needed to make a start on my packing and popped out to grab some boxes for my stuff.

Once I was sure she was gone I trailed over to my room expecting Edward to be hauled up on my bed but he wasn't.

I remembered the closet and opened the door to find him sat on the floor with his back against my hamper. His eyes were fixed my prom dress.

He didn't look up at me...He just continued to stare blankly at the satin material passing through his fingers.

"You would have looked stunning in this." His voice was almost a whisper.

His eyes were rimmed with red like they had been the night I broke up with him and I figured that was why he was trying to not blink...Like he was trying to hold back his own tears....stopping them before they fell as I had tried to do.

"The coast is clear if you wanted to..."I let my sentence drop off not wanting to make it sound like I wanted him to leave. All traces of our earlier urgency had gone and been replaced with a sombre cloud that seemed to be hanging over our heads.

"Do you mind if I stay over tonight?" He asked; suddenly on his feet and in front of me.

"No...I don't mind." my eyes fluttered as he wrapped his arms around me and rested his cheek on the top of my head.

"Good." He sighed. "Listen...don't make plans for Thursday night ok...I'm guessing you'll have finished your notice by then?"

"Yeah...Why?" I wrinkled my eyebrows at him.

"Because I got plans for us...I've got vacation time in over the Christmas holidays so I won't be at work either..." He lowered his head to look at me in the eyes and I melted at the sudden sparkle that was back in then. "I mean that's if you don't mind spending the evening with me?

"Yes I'll spend the evening with you."I chuckled at him.

I didn't actually want to think about the end of the new week because that meant our time was just about over...I wasn't even sure how I was going to handle telling him goodbye.

As the day passed Alice and I starting the packing while Edward stayed in hiding.

It didn't actually take long to get half of it done...Though I met with some opposition when I refused to make a start on my bedroom. I think she was secretly hoping to weed out my clothing and get rid of most of it...leaving me with no choice but to buy new stuff...And of course she would insist on coming with me as a kind of pre-farewell shopping trip.

She was emptying a cupboard that I used to store anything I didn't seem to have a proper place for and pulled out my high school scrapbook.

"Oh my god! Is this what I think it is?" She quickly flipped it open and started to giggle at the pictures. "Did I really wear that? And what was with my hair?!"

"Yeah you did." I chuckled as I sidled in beside her; propping the book between us.

"I wish I could go back sometimes...things were sooooooo much simpler then." She sighed. "No worries other than which college to go to and who you were going to the dance with."

"Speak for your self! I had plenty of worries" I chuckled. "Like walking in a straight line...I was so scared for graduation. I had nightmares for a week before that I was going to trip over my robe and fall face first into the spectators...Taking the Dean with me because he'd been shaking my hand at the time!" I giggled.

She laughed with me as we made our way through the entire album.

"What was with Emmett's face in this one?" She asked and I noticed it was taken at the bonfire. "And why does he look like he was protecting his balls from you?"

So I had to tell her what happened.

"Seeing Emmett the prick get his ball's blown of....Hell I'd have paid to see that!" She was bent over holding her ribs at my memory...That I could have sworn I told her about once before Although I think we were both drinking at the time.

The last page was a group shot that one of the teachers took of our senior class. It was the last photo with Edward and I in that we were actually smiling...even though we were at different ends from each other.

I absentmindedly ran my fingers over him and it didn't go un-noticed.

"You guys were good together." She sighed as she rested her head on my shoulder.

"Yeah we were...before we totally fucked it all up and started hating each other...He hated me for something I didn't even do Alice." I felt a lump rising in my throat and tried to swallow it down hard as I thought of all that wasted time and animosity.

Maybe it had been for the best though...We both needed to grow...But the thought didn't ease the pain it all still brought me.

"Sweetie you didn't do anything to deserve him hating you like that." She smoothed the hair back out of my eyes and smiled sweetly.

"Can you believe he actually thought I had something to do with those fucking pictures?" I shook my head at the absolute absurdity of it.

"I didn't think for one minute that that prank would blow so out of proportion when I stuck that picture up that day in school Bella...I swear." She lowered her head.

"THAT WAS YOU!" Edward's enraged voice met us before he fully had the door open.

**Ooooooooooo Alice how could you!!!!!!!!!!**

**I realise this one is kinda shorter than the ones I've been writing lately but...lemons in a chapter...they stretch out a bit more with all the descriptions and shit...But seen as there aren't any in this chapter...Yeah I didn't know how I could fill it out anymore than this.**

**It does however mean I can start sooner on the next chapter.**

**So let's see if we can get to 300...**

**Please Review, It only takes a minute.**


	23. Chapter 22

**OMG! It went past 300!!! Thank you all so much. I was really worried about that last chapter...I didn't know if it worked or not but loads of you reviewed it and said you'd liked it...So thanks for that too lol**

**So Alice has some explaining to do...But then I guess so do Bella and Edward...**

Edward's POV

I tried to tune out the conversation I could hear from the other room.

Alice and Bella were obviously taking a trip down memory lane and that meant back to times we'd both like to forget about.

I'd finally vacated the closet and was sat on the floor leaning against her bed...letting my head drop back onto the comforter.

I never gave missing prom a second thought before now...but seeing that dress hung up and hearing the longing tone in her voice as she told Alice she'd bought it special made me wish more than anything that I could have seen her in it that night...to have picked her up at Charlies and given her a fucking corny corsage.

"I didn't think for one minute that that prank would blow so out of proportion when I stuck that picture up that day in school Bella...I swear." I heard my sister's voice confess and was on my feet before I could fully comprehend what I was about to do.

"THAT WAS YOU!" I growled as I swung open the door and stormed over to her.

Her eyes went wide before narrowing and looking back and forth between me and fer best friend.

"What the fuck are you doing in Bella's room....What the fuck are you doing in her apartment for that matter?" She jumped up and squared her shoulders defensively.

"THOSE FUCKING PHOTO'S WERE YOU'RE DOING?" I yelled while getting all up in her face. "YOU FUCKING KNEW WHAT THEY DID TO ME ALICE! YOU KNEW! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MY SISTER...FAMILY! FAMILY DOESN'T DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO FAMILY ALICE!" My body was shaking in rage as my head shook from side to side.

Bella jumped up and positioned herself between us...pushing me away from her friend while trying to capture my gaze with pleading eyes to calm down.

I finally stopped seeing red and looked down into Bella's eye. "I hated you for so long...because of my sister?" I questioned myself for not realising before and again for ever thinking the woman in front of me was capable of such malice.

Alice suddenly seemed to slink into the couch and looked full of remorse.

I turned back to my sister and still felt enraged but was calm enough to try and let her explain.

"I only put up one...I swear!" She almost whispered but then her voice raised and she continued. "But you're so called _best _friend Emmett...He took it and copied it...you know the rest. Edward I never meant to let that happen...But you'd hurt my Bella and that was a big NO!" She wasn't looking at me as she shook her her...remembering back to school.

She had been just as affected in all that shit as we had and I never even realised.

"EMMETT!" Bella growled in disgust at the mention of him.

"He was the one that put them everywhere...He had a shit load of smaller versions done and threw them down the stairwell like a fucking ticker tape parade." My sister turned to me and looked me straight in the eyes. "I'm so sorry Edward."

"Alice I wanted to curl up and die...That's how bad it was!" I cringed at the barrage of memories that flooded me and chilled my spine.

She sobbed into her hands and my role as her big brother kicked back in. I wrapped my arms around her and she buried her face into my chest mumbling a constant string of apologies.

After I spent a while assuring her it was ok and I'd live she suddenly sat bolt upright.

"So why are you here...?" She questioned accusingly before looking back and forth between me and Bella. "Shirtless...In Bella's apartment...Bedroom?" She licked her lip and wiped her eyes on her sweater sleeves; sniffling and raising her eyebrows at the two of us.

We both remained silent. Bella looked lost in her thoughts and I didn't quite know how to put into words what this was.

She looked at Bella and sighed. "After everything...really?"

She just gazed at her friend...begging for understanding without actual words.

"Edward?" She looked at me poignantly.

How could I tell her when I didn't know myself?

I fidgeted with my hands before rubbing my face.

"Right...Well let me guess then...It's just a bit of fun...?" She narrowed her eyes at me before turning to Bella again. "He knows your rules...?" She almost laughed.

Yeah I knew the rules.

Bella doesn't get involved in anything long term...Thanks for the reminder Alice.

"I know enough about the two of you to know how fucked up this could get. You have a history for fuck sake! But then hey...You're both old enough and ugly enough to know what you're doing right?"

She stood up and picked up her purse before going to hug Bella. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"And you..." She turned to hug me and I couldn't deny her...picture or no picture..."If you hurt her...I'll drag your ass to the vet's and have him castrate you...got it?"

I was never having kids then.

I had a feeling that getting hurt at this point was inevitable to some degree...But I couldn't stop myself...I was selfish and wanted whatever time we had left to be with her.

Bella closed the door when the pixie left and stood leaning against it.

"Well that could have gone a lot worse." She let out a single chuckle before slowly walking over to me.

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean for things to come out like that but when she said...I couldn't let it go." I shook my head while my mind focused on a distant memory that strangely felt like a few days ago.

"Did you really mean it when you said you wanted to curl up and..." She whispered without finishing her question...the bit she got out seemed to pain her immensely.

"At the time...yeah I did...It felt like my life was over...and if it wasn't then I'd live in humiliation for the rest of it. That was before I realised life moved on though. We didn't have long left with the idiots of Forks high, thank god, and once I left it's halls behind me...that picture was left too...Not that I would ever forget...just that...To everyone else it didn't matter and wouldn't get brought up to haunt me." I smiled at her weakly as I realised I'd been the only one really holding on to it all this time.

"I hated seeing you so upset back then." She sighed as she leaned against the counter. She took an apple from the fruit bowl and rolled it around in her hands.

"Why...We'd broken up...why would something like that upset you?" I kind of felt resentful again for the thought of her being upset at my humiliation...She was the one that ended things between us...she gave up on us...why would she care about anything to do with me after that.

"I told you this already...Just because we'd broken up didn't mean I fell out of love with you over night Edward. I still cared about you...I even still cared about you when you started snapping at me and calling me a bitch." Now she seemed to be the one harbouring a little resentment.

She propped the fruit back on top of the others and walked over to the couch.

I stayed put to give her a minute. I knew she'd be thinking about things now and I wanted to give her a little space...But it was to frustrating. I wish I could just fucking read her mind or some shit like that.

Why didn't Alice scream and yell at me for playing around with Bella like this...? Was that what I was doing? But she was a big girl and she did tell me about her rules...And I'd accepted them right? She let me know from the start that nothing could come from this.

Bella's POV

To actually say out loud that he wanted to die was enough to turn my heart into a pile of ashes.

I knew it had been bad but I didn't think...

I'd slumped on my couch and left him stood over by the counter in the kitchen. My eyes closed and the last few months at high school started playing in my mind like a bad re-run of a show doomed to last one season. I used to love school so much before all that shit...Alice had been the only thing to keep me from losing my mind.

Alice.

She now knew about me and Edward now and I knew she'd seen straight through me.

She'd seen it in my eyes that I was already in too deep...that's why she'd said she hoped I knew what I was doing. What she really meant was 'I hope you're strong enough for this because I'm not going to be in Phoenix to help get you through it.'

"So are you going to let me order pizza in for tonight?" He asked as he plopped down by my side.

I was completely lost.

"What?" I pulled my eyebrows together in confusion and he chuckled.

"You've forgotten." His crooked grin was in danger of making my panties damp so I turned back to looking towards the window.

"Forgotten what?" I closed my eyes and started to get annoyed with the dick.

Yeah that was good...The dick...he's a dick....and this is just a bit of fun before I leave...and I do still hate him...and he thinks I'm a shrew...

Except...I don't hate him...he's not a dick...he's amazing and sweet incredible and I love him whether I want to or not.

Why did Alice have to go away in the first place. My inner self pouted.

"It's Sunday." I recognised the manner in which he said it and realised I'd said those words the same way to him. "Sunday night is..."

"Movie night." I finished his sentence as he did mine two weeks ago.

How could my life change so fucking much and get so screwed up in only two weeks?!

"I figured you wouldn't want cremated pizza so I thought maybe we could order in." He smiled at his attempt to tease me. "I mean that is if it's still ok for me to stay over?"

"I don't know..." I bit my lip

"Oh..." He dropped his pretences and a look of panic flitted across his face.

"I mean...It's a school day tomorrow." I added hoping I wasn't taking this too far and he's realise what I was doing.

"Yeah of course...I didn't think...You don't leave work until Wednesday right..." It wasn't a question aimed at me it was a statement to himself.

Fuck he wasn't getting it.

"And I don't think Charlie would like me entertaining boys in my bedroom...late at night...in my pyjamas...on a school night." He had to get that! I'd used that line on him numerous times when we were together and he knew what I really meant was that he better sneak in through my window and stay the whole night and watch cheesy movies without complaint with me.

His grin grew ten fold.

He ordered three different pizza's while I picked a movie.

"What are we watching Miss Swan?" He asked in a chipper tone and handed me a beer.

"What Happens in Vegas...Is that ok? Or would you prefer some testosterone?" I was bent down by the DVD player when I realised I hadn't asked what kind of mood he was in.

He didn't answer.

"Edward?" I turned to look at him over my shoulder to see his eyes fixed on my ass.

"What? Oh I'm sorry were you saying something?" He licked his lips before biting the bottom one.

"You only like me for my ass." I teased.

"Who wouldn't!...Look at it!"

I stood up after hitting the button to load the disc and walked back over to the couch. When I got there he turned me around by my hips so I was facing away from him.

"Mmmmmmmm I'd watch your amazing ass over a movie any Sunday...any DAY for that matter." He chuckled as I bent over slightly and wiggled it in front of him.

I sad next to him curled up my feet to get comfortable.

I couldn't help thinking about the irony of it all....They slept together...started to hate each other and he pissed in the sink instead of the plants, but that was just a technicality.

The difference though was that there story was going to end well...that was a given.

After about ten minutes of the film, Edward had done the old stretch and slide arm trick and we both laughed at his corny gesture.

By the end of the movie Edward had eaten a full cheese pizza to himself and the three pieces of my Hawaiian one that I'd left. A good few empty beer bottles littered the coffee table and floor...and we were more than relaxed. I couldn't help being grateful for the uplifted mood.

We wentto bed together and didn't even try anything that might lead to sex. We just simply climbed under the covers and wrapped ourselves up in each other before Edward started to hum a beautiful melody. I recognised it as the one he'd played the morning after we'd slept together when Alice was away. My eyes drooped with every passing note and I was soon floating of the the land of nod.

That night my dream of the airport and search filled my unconscious mind only this time...Edward was with me. He hugged me and kissed me sweetly before saying goodbye...and I got on the plane. I still woke up in tears but the desperation was lost.

Edward had rolled onto his stomach and his arm draped over me. I looked at his head of disheveled hair and listened to the low rumbling snores emitting from him...He was beautiful. A sleeping angel that I didn't deserve to share such moments with.

I carefully manouverd out of his hold and slid out of bed to make some coffee. I didn't want to sleep but I didn't know if I could keep myself together if I stayed in his arms just now either.

I stood waiting as the dark caramel liquid dripped through into the pot and thought that that was what our time left was like...dripping away by the second.

I was pulled out of my thought by my cell buzzing at me.

Pixie.

"Hey Alice" I answered before she had a chance to say anything.

"Hey you...You want to go grab a coffee before work?" She was way too bright for the is time on a morning.

What was the time anyway? I looked at the little flashing clock on the microwave and groaned.

6:57am

"Why are you up so early?" I asked incredulously while rubbing my hand over my face.

"I'm always up this early...Why are you whispering?"

"Um." I hadn't realised I was.

"Let me guess my brother's there still?" She sighed at me and I could almost hear her eyes rolling.

"Yeah...He's still asleep." I looked back towards my room door and thought about him laying in my bed.

"Bella...how bad is it? Out of one to ten...ten being 'I love you Edward'" I was taken back by her bluntness. Was I that transparent?

"I don't know...a hundred." My eyes closed and my head dropped onto the counter in front of me at the predicament of my unrequited love for her brother.

"Bella you have to tell him...this isn't fair on either of you...This isn't a game and you're going to get hurt.

Her words struck me like a bolt of lightening and I was finally scared of my feelings and the imminent pain I would feel when I had to say goodbye.

**The next chapter is going to be a slight jump to after she's officially left on the wednesday...possibly the Thursday...just so you know.**

**Two chapters and no lemons??????????? I must be ill...Oh that's it! I'm trying to get the story back on track and headed towards the prologue.**

**So how was it for you?**

**Review Review Review...Pretty please with a cherry on the top...Maybe it's Edward's cherry that he lost with....Oh god my mind really IS perversed!**


	24. Chapter 23

**I wasn't going to put this one up yet but I guess I will...Just hope you all show me the love for it hehe *whispers* Reviews heart love!**

**Thank you for all the reviews as always...And this is the one I think a lot of you have been waiting for...She finally tells him she loves him...yep that's right...you read this right.**

**Sometimes it hurts to say I love you...Sometimes it hurts to say goodbye...**

**I have a couple of songs for this one that should help with the mood.**

**Come Away with Me by Norah Jones. I cried for you and Piece by Piece by Katie Melua (highly recommend listening to the last one while they're dancing and shit. ) And Closest thing to Crazy... Katie Melua. This one really needs listening to when piece by piece finishes.**

Edward's POV

The sands of time slipped past quicker than I ever thought possible and my chest swelled in pain at the thought of saying goodbye.

I stood pacing up and down looking around to make sure I got everything right before I headed over to meet Bella.

Why was I fucking nervous?

This was my idea...I'd not been able to shake the thought away after having to hide out in her closet...I told myself to stop being a pussy and get over it.

I hoped the note I slipped under her door before she got in from her afternoon out with my sister got noticed...otherwise this could wind up being a bit embarrassing.

I 'd watched the clock around since getting up this morning hoping that I could pull this off...that the idea wasn't corny and cheesy and that maybe I could make up for some of the shit I ever put her through and she missed out on because of me and my stupid indecision...which was still my worst enemy.

I looked at my watch and decided it was time.

Bella's POV

I was confused.

I'd spent a lovely afternoon out with Alice who'd managed to skirt around the hole Edward issue. When he did get mentioned she just threw me weary glances because she new I hadn't told him yet.

How were you supposed to just...BLURT out to someone that you loved them so much that your heart ached every second you were apart...that the world had no meaning without them and should just stop turning. Especially when your biggest fear ever was giving your heart away...I know it was too late for that and I was scared shitless right now...but the thought of giving it to someone when you didn't even know if they felt anything in return had me almost hyperventilating.

I wanted to tell him but feared the rejection.

We'd finished our afternoon off with tea and shared a piece of cheesecake; making plans for Saturday's trip to the airport, she was going to make with trip with me to prolong our separation. Then we said goodbye and went our separate ways.

I walked up to my apartment filled with aprehention and decided I needed to tell him tonight.

But lost all the thoughts from my mind when I looked down to find a note pushed under my door. It was written in Edwards neat hand.

Bella,

Will you be my date to the prom?

Please?

If yes...then meet me at your door

at 7:00pm

Ps. Bring your camera.

"What the...?" I looked at the note in my hand and read it over and over.

The prom?

Maybe he hit his head.

I still managed to get giddy and run around getting ready.

When I went to my closet and took out my dress I remembered him sat here looking at it That must have been when he planned this...That was when he'd told me to keep tonight free.

I slipped on the dress and smiled at the reflection that greeted me. I didn't always need Alice to preen me. I pinned up my hair into a twist with a large clip and let the ends cascade over the top and picked out the same earrings and necklace that he'd bought me when we were together...the one I'd worn on our date...He'd not realised but I did kind of do a lot of things to distract him.

At exactly seven o'clock he knocked on the door.

I was very aware of all the butterflies fluttering around in my stomach and cursed myself for being so rediculous...I was twenty three..not eighteen.

I opened the door and he stood before me in a very expensive looking black tux and my heart skipped a beat.

"Hey." He looked almost bashful and I wanted to laugh...Edward Cullen...shy?

"Hi." I couldn't manage much else.

"I got this for you." He lifted a beautiful corsage into view and I could feel my eyes starting to melt.

It was a very elegant collaboration of Lillie's and roses and it matched my dress perfectly. He lifted my hand and slipped it into place; letting his hand linger there a little longer than needed...but I didn't mind.

"Are you ready to go?" He offered me his arm and gave me his adorable crooked grin.

My knee's started to quiver already.

He drove me over to his place and he lead me up to his door looking nervous. I couldn't understand why? This was his idea.

He unlocked the door and pushed it open so I could lead the way.

I gasped.

"Edward!" Why did he have a knack of doing this shit to me...Making me want to cry at the drop of a hat.

Just at the other side of the door was an arch of beautiful flowers and beyond that was his dining table set out with crisp white linens and silver wear...And something smelled delicious...what was that...Lasagna?

He'd put his Christmas lights up too since last time I was here and they gave off the most enchanting glow around the room.

"I can't believe you did all this." I'd failed to hold back the tears but luckily there were only a few fell over the blush in my cheeks.

"I felt bad that you bought this amazing dress...that looks incredible by the way....And then we didn't get to go to prom...I know it's not the same but..." I lifted my hand to silence him.

"It's perfect.

He took a photo with an out stretched arm of the two of us dressed up before we sat down to eat Edward's lasagna...Which tasted as good as it smelled and he told me it was one of only a few things he knew how to cook. We drank and danced...then drank and danced some more and we took snap shots throughout the evening.

He'd just pulled me back into his arms to dance as the next song started to play and I couldn't help taking in the words

"I thought I recognise that the last time we went out." He smiled while his fingers trailed over the chain of the necklace he bought me sending shivers through my body.

First of all must go  
Your scent upon my pillow  
And then Ill say goodbye  
To your whispers in my dreams  
And then our lips will part  
In my mind and in my heart  
Cos your kiss  
Went deeper than my skin

Piece by piece  
Is how I'll let go of you  
Kiss by kiss  
Will leave my mind one at a time  
One at a time

I pressed my face to his chest and inhaled his scent while trying to hide more tears from him...until I realised he'd feel them through his shirt. But he held me tighter and moved us around and never mentioned anything about my silently sobbing state.

First of all must fly  
My dreams of you and i  
There's no point of holding on to those  
And then our ties will break  
For your and my own sake  
Just remember  
This is what you chose

Piece by piece  
Is how I'll let go of you  
Kiss by kiss  
Will leave my mind one at a time  
One at a time

I'll shed like skin  
Our memories of lazy days  
And fade away the shadow of your face

"Edward I have to tell you someth....." I was rendered speechless by the most passionate kiss of my life. Our lips caressed and our tongues stroked in the most beautiful and gentle way and I savoured it...burning it to memory so I could remember it longer...Kiss by kiss.

Piece by piece  
Is how I'll let go of you  
Kiss by kiss  
Will leave my mind one at a time  
One at a time  
One at a time  
One at a time

His hand found the back of my neck and cradled me to his mouth while his other brushed though my hair...sending a shiver right through me. It travelled down through my hair...over my shoulders...down the sides of my torso while gently catching the sides of my breasts as they went to settle on the small of my back. He pulled me closer to him and pressed his fore head to mine while more songs played in the back ground.

How can I think I'm standing strong?  
Yet feel the air beneath my feet.  
How can happiness feel so wrong?  
How can misery feel so sweet?

How can you let me watch you sleep?  
Then break my dreams the way you do.  
How can I have got in so deep?  
Why did i fall in love with you?

This is the closest thing to crazy  
I have ever been.  
Feeling twenty-two, acting seventeen.  
This is the nearest thing to crazy  
I have ever known.  
But I was never crazy on my own.  
And now I know  
That there's a link between the two,  
Being close to craziness, and being close to you

I wanted him...One last time before everything got fucked up and tonight seemed like the perfect chance...so I pressed my lips to his. He greeted me with the warmth of his mouth and captured the last little bit of my heart that wasn't yet broken...Though after tonight I knew it would be.

My hands ran up his chest and clutched desperately at his collar.

How can you let me fall apart?  
Then break my fall with lovin lies.  
It's so easy to break a heart,  
It's so easy to close your eyes.

How can you treat me like a child?  
Yet like a child I yearn for you.  
How can anyone feel so wild?  
How can anyone feel so blue?

I felt his hands fumble with the zipper on the back of my dress before slowly teasing it down my body before the fabric crumpled and fell to the floor...leaving me stood there in nothing but a pair of lacy white boy shorts.

This is the closest thing to crazy  
I have ever been.  
Feeling twenty-two, acting seventeen.  
This is the nearest thing to crazy  
I have ever known.  
I was never crazy on my own.  
And now I know  
That there's a link between the two,  
Being close to craziness, and being close to you

And being close to you

And being close to you

He pulled me back to him and let me push of his jacket...before I starting to make quick work of his buttons. He stood there and let me undress his while he started to leave open mouthed kissed just below my ear. I felt his hands grab my waist as my knee's buckled under his touch...causing him to chuckle quietly into my ear. He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist and lifted me off the floor before carrying me off to his room along with the camera.

He waisted no time in lowering me to his bed and stalking over me. Our mouths met again and we hungrily took what was on offer. When he was distracted by my kiss I pushed him to the side and rolled above him...Pushing my body to his...grinding my hips against his causing us both to groan in pleasure. I made my way lower down his body and unfastened his buckle and pants. Before I had chance to get to settled though he somehow managed to get us to our feet without me noticing...until I felt his own hands fumbling with his belt then the sound pants falling around his ankles. He used his feet to rid himself of them then grabbed me again...pushing his body as close to mine as he could.

I would tell him I loved him...But for now I was lost in the moment.

It was sweet and beautiful and the closest I've ever been to making love.

We didn't mess around with extras...we just needed to feel purity...perfection...and that's how being with him felt.

Perfect.

We disregarded our underwear and revelled in the intimacy of the moment. He lowered me to the bed and rested between my legs while kissing me lovingly...that was the only way to describe this.

I didn't stop him as his lips found my breasts or when he pushed into me slowly...tortuously slow to the point it was almost painful to be without him inside me. He stayed there...stilled within me until we'd absorbed the sensations running through us and he was satisfied my nipples were hard.

"It's like they're blushing along with you."He chuckled before lapping and nibbling the sensitive bud.

"OOOooh...O...Oh god Edward!" I bit my lip as she finally started to move within me.

"Bella I...UUUnnnnnnnghhhhhhh. Oh fu..." His words cut off as a growl reverberated from his chest.

Our pace increase with our need and before long we were sweating and heaving as our search for full release built.

He'd push... I'd pull. His thrusts met by my own in a desperate attempt to get deeper...like I wanted to be enveloped by him...To be one with him.

His groaning took on the tell tale gruffness while my body started to shake beneath him and I knew he could feel my body gripping him forcefully...needing him more.

I couldn't help the feral scream that ripped through me ans his almost roared in the same pleasure I was experiencing as we finally achieving our goal. He crashed down on me as my hands held my head...It felt it might fall off if I moved too hard. I was so dizzy and breathless but I stayed there...in no rush to move. I felt strangely at peace with what I had to tell him now and even though it would hurt like hell.

He looked up at me from his place on my chest and and a wide grin spread on his face.

Before I had chance to tell him he fell to sleep and I didn't have the heart to wake him so instead I snuggled up to him and enjoyed the comfort being with him like this brought. I didn't want the night to end.

I loved my prom and would forever hold it dear to my heart.

Morning dawned all too soon and not one bird seemed to sing.

I woke before him and watched as he finally stirred. He smiled at me and shifted around to look at the time.

We took our time getting ready sat drinking coffee in silence.

"I can't believe you're actually leaving tomorrow." He looked at the table in front of him while I fidgeted with the sleeve of his sweater he'd lent me to go home in.

"I know." I whispered back knowing I was out of time.

I had a million and one loose ends to tie up and knew there would be no time for this later.

"I'm gonna miss you." He finally looked up at me but his eyes were filled with torment.

"Me too...I have to tell you something Edward. I doubt it changes anything between us but I have to say it...I don't expect anything from it so don't worry ok...But ..."

"You're nervous." His brow creased as he took in the fear in my face.

"What?" My eyes faltered and I couldn't help the few stray tears that leaked out.

"You can tell me anything...You do know that right?" He tucked a stray bang of my hair behind my ear before and I lifted my eyes to meet his.

"I...I love you." I breathed...closing my eyes so I didn't have to see his expression.

"You hate me though." He seemed a little confused as he took in my words.

"I could never hate you...I love you...I don't think I ever stopped loving you...I just learned to live without you...Like I'm going to have to do again now." I wasn't waiting for a declaration of love from him. I knew him well enough to know he probably would never speak those word to anyone.

He stared at the table and I could have sworn he was in a kind of state of shock. His eyes would occasionally flit from side to side like he was trying to work something out but I knew I had to leave then.

"I better go...I doubt I'll get a chance to see you before tomorrow so I guess I might as well say goodbye now.." I started to stand knowing that I only had minutes left to be able to hold myself together but he grabbed my arm.

"Wait...I...Yoou don't have to go yet...You can stay longer right I mean...don't go yet please." His eye grew redder and his voice became panicked.

"I can't I really have to go...I have so much left to do...and I..."

"Please..Bella...You can't leave...you have to stay...Stay here...in Washington." He searched my eyes but didn't find whatever it was he was looking for.

"Why...Tell me why Edward? Give me a reason to stay." It wasn't a question but he took it as a challenge.

"What about Alice...Your students..?" He pressed his head to mine but it was like being back when we broke up.

"What about you?" I couldn't stop myself from asking iit.

"I...I..." His eye glued shut and his head hung in defeat.

"Then I have to go...I love you Edward...But I can't stay when I know you don't feel the same...If I want any chance of getting over this...to survive...Then I have to go. I have to." I rushed forward and pressed my lips to his. He grabbed me and pulled me to him. "Goodbye Edward." I pulled out of his grasping hands and left him stood there.

I ran down the stairs and out of the door before cracking a little more. I kept my full blown breakdown for when I got back to an apartment that no longer felt like home.

***Cries a little* **

**Please don't go hating Edward for being an idiot and not telling her. He's getting there.**

**Next chapter is the day of departure...in other words the prologue but with more to it.**

**Please review because I need to know I'm not the only wuss out there. lol**

**Oh and the next chapter is pretty much written already so If you review like champs for this (and seen as it's been two in one day) I'll promise to put the next one up by lunch time tomorrow hehehehe.**


	25. Chapter 24

**As promised if you reviewed for me.**

**So....She's leaving on a jet plane....Sorry couldn't help it.**

**Oh you all pulled out the stops with the reviewsbb's and for that I love you so much more. So what's it like when you realise you love someone and are about to lose them?**

Edward's POV

"Look I just have to get through long enough to see someone...Please?" I hated begging but this was worth it...She was worth it.

"I'm sorry sir but unless you have a ticket I can't let you through!" She didn't appreciate my persistance.

I was distracted for a moment by some commotions that was going on behind me. Someone had run into someone's trolly and their cases were splayed all over the floor while their owner shouted at the culprit. But my attention was soon turned back to the matter in hand. I didn't have time to pay any attention to stupidity.

"Please?" I tried one more time but she wouldn't back down.

"I'll gladly let you through if you show me a valid ticket sir."

Right...A ticket...Where the fuck would I get a ticket?

She must have recognised the look on my face because she pointed to a kiosk by the help desks.

"Right...Thank you." I turned and sprinted over to where she'd indicated.

"I need a ticket to Phoenix for the six thirty flight....Please?" I started tapping my foot while waiting for her to type shit into her system.

"Well let me see if we can help you out young man." She was cheery...That could work to my advantage.

"We do have a few seats left...the ticket price for these seats are one hundred and fifty seven dollars." Her smile was infecious and I couldn't help smiling back while wondering if I had the cash on me.

Credit card...Yes!

"I'll take one please." I handed over the card and gave her my details while see tapped away on the keys.

"You don't have very long before it leaves sir so I suggest you run." I was so happy to actually get a ticket that I hoisted my body over the counter and kissed her cheek; making her blush.

"Thank you so much." I grinned as I turned and started running back over to the check in desk ready for round too with the battle axe.

She didn't give me any grief thankfully and let me passed. It's not like I had any bags or anything to slow the process down.

(Earlier that day)

Bella's POV

Alice had taken me to Seattle airport ready for my flight to my new life.

One that would leave Edward, the one true love of my life...behind.

"Bella I'm going to miss you so much." Alice's sobs were enough to rival my own, and she hadn't even got a broken heart.

"I'm gonna miss you to Alice." I cried as she held on to me for dear life. "I call you when I get in ok?"

"You better!"

With that I turned to walk through the security barrier that wouldn't allow her to go any further with me.

I'd spent the rest of yesterday curled up on my couch in my apartment crying. there was no point in denying the memories that swam in my mind. I was hurting but found some comfort in the thoughts of our time together. I thought back to the morning I found him asleep at Alice's...the way he looked wrapped in a towel a few days after...John fucking Jacob and burnt pizza...Playing dress up...how it felt to have his body moving with mine...his lips on my skin.

I closed my eyes, willing myself not to cry and threw my bags up on to the conveyer belt to be scanned then turned out my pockets to walk through security.

No beep.

I walked to the end to pick up my bag but the guy was checking it over so I had to stand and wait for him to finish.

He pulled everything out and gave it the once over including my camera.

Yeah buddy because it's really an in cinerary device.

The pictures on it however might cause me to spontaneously combust though; pictures from prom that Edward took using it when we were at his place...

Too painful.

He threw everything back in...Much to my annoyance, and handed me it back nodding towards the way to the departure lounge.

I found a seat away from the crowds and sat cradling my legs, resting my head on my knees while finally allowing myself to cry again.

I was running away again...'Doing what I did best' as Edward had put it the night of the storm. But I couldn't stay here around him like this. I loved him and I'd told him...He didn't imply anything to suggest her felt the same.

I'd tried to fool myself that I didn't love him and that it had been just having a bit of fun...like it started out as. But my heart had tried to warn me on so many occasions that I was falling again...Not again...I'd never truly stopped loving him to count it as again.

But I should have known that it would be too much for him to handle; me telling him about my feelings for him.

It was unfair on my part if truth be told.

I was the one that walked away before...I was the one to instigate our dangerous games over the last few weeks...And I was the one that let my self break my own rules.

Now I was the one leaving again.

I couldn't blame Edward for my behaviour in this. Before we'd slept together I'd been the one to say I didn't get into relationships. Why should he even have considered things as any different?

But I couldn't help my heart now. It was too late.

I sighed as I reluctantly took out my camera and switched on the power.

I flicked through the different pictures of us at the best prom ever...us dancing...one of us snuggled up together in his bed with the comforter pulled up around us. We were kissing and he'd held the camera up to take the snapshot.

I smiled as I remembered the amazing sex. It almost felt like we were making love...but I couldn't fool my self any longer. I felt the tears silently falling over my cheeks.

That's when I notice it.

In the back ground of that very same picture was the teddy bear I won on our very first official date when I was seventeen.

He'd taken me to a carnival and we'd spent the night going on all the rides and playing some of the games. I had a go at the coconut shy and won. The guy gave me a choice of a goldfish or a little 'I love you' teddy. I'd looked at the orange fish then back to Edward laughing.

"What?" Edward had looked mystified.

"I think I'd better take the bear!" I sniggered. "From what I remember of you and goldfish...this poor guy would be dead within the week!" I chortled

"Yeah...You're probably right." He shrugged, smiling while he threw his arm around me and led us off to another game, cuddly bear in tow.

We'd shared our first kiss that night too...when he'd walked me home.

We'd stood on my front porch and must have said 'so' countless times before he put his hands to my hair on either side of my face and slowly placed the sweetest chaste kiss on my waiting lips.

And there it was the very same teddy bear, tucked almost out of sight behind his alarm clock...but it was definitely there.

"How the hell did I miss that?" I stared at the picture incredulously.

He'd kept it all this time.

Edward's POV

My feet pounded a sea of linoleum and my thighs burned like a bitch...but I couldn't slow my pace or I'd be too late...She'd be gone and I couldn't even consider that option. I had to get to her before she got on that stupid plane.

I'm such a dick!

I should have just manned up and told her that I loved her when I had the chance. Now I was probably going to be too fucking late.

No!

I couldn't give up.

If I had to go to the ends of the earth to tell her then I would.

My body carried on propelling itself through the crowds of people making their way home to their loved ones for the holidays.

"Hey! Shmuck! Watch where you're fucking going!" Some guy yelled in a thick accent.

"Sorry!" I shouted back over my shoulder, not actually looking at the now disgruntled passenger behind me.

He was right though...I was a shmuck.

I was in love with Isabella Swan...My sister's best friend but was too stupid to it until it was too late

Almost too late.

I don't know what I was going to say when I saw her but I knew I had to try and stop her.

As I was here running through Seattle Tacoma international airport, she would already be stood waiting to board a metal bird back to Phoenix at the gate; leaving me behind so she could try and live...survive had been her words.

She'd bared her soul and told me, said she was in love with me and I just stood their like an idiot.

I glanced at the gigantic clock over the departure board

6:27pm

The flickering screen below also let me know I had no room for lateness as her flight was on time.

I had three minutes.

I could still make it...

I had to.

I've always been in love with her; I was just too pig headed to see it _as_ love.

Ever since back in high school, my eye's only ever seemed to be attracted to her. We'd been friends for years and seen each other through our awkward stages yet she always remained beautiful in my eyes; growing more beautiful with the passing days.

I had the chance back then to have made her mine and I did...I mean for fuck sake...we did lose our virginity to one another...And that was my down fall...If I'd just kept my stupid mouth shut then everything wouldn't have gotten messed up as bad as it had.

Two minutes.

My legs were starting to feel like jello but there was no way I was going to stop.

My heart was pounding so hard I feared it would jump out of my chest; maybe it was trying to get to her before I did...So she could take it with her.

I knew my time was running out but I couldn't give up yet.

One minute left.

I rounded the last corner before the gate and crashed into a long line of luggage carts being pushed by some punk'y looking, pimple faced kid. My momentum took me clean over then into a heap on the floor and I shook my head as I gathered my self back together. The little fucking prick flipped me off for disrupting his nice neat line of carriages.

"Fucking bite me phlegm wad!" I glared at him as I straightened my self up before taking flight again towards the woman by the gate.

"Hey! Hey! Wait up!" I shouted as she closed the doors to her side.

"I'm sorry sir the plane is already boarded and ready to go." She gestured with her hand to ask me to move back.

Fuck that shit right up.

"Wait...I have to get on that plane." I protested

"Well then maybe you should have tried to make it here on time...I'm sure if you go back to the customer service kiosk and tell them you missed your flight then they'll rebook you for the next one." She smiled and grimaced at the same time and I knew the bitch was just trying to be pretentious.

"Look lady!" My patience had completely fucked off with the kid with a 'connect the dots' face and she was pissing me off by the second. "I don't want to go to phoenix! I had to buy a fucking ticket to get them to let me through to here; I have to get on that flight! I have to tell someone right now that I love her...I..." My voice cut off weakly as I caught sight of the plane being pushed back onto the tarmac, ready to taxi to the run way.

My heart fell silent and my knee's gave way from under me.

I felt empty...cold...dead.

"I love you too Bella." My voice broke in less than a whisper as my head fell to touch the glass wall in front of me.

Yeah...Like I needed a panoramic view of the love of my life leaving me here.

I stayed there, dejected and broken as I watched it pick up speed then shoot off into the clouds.

She was gone...I was too late...

...But I wouldn't give up...I know what I wanted.

I rushed onto my feet and high tailed it out of there while forming a plan, trying to ingore the burning in my legs.

It would take me a couple of hours to get back home from here...but then again if I put my foot down...Maybe just over the hour.

I could do that!

I needed to go home for some shit first but I could be back here in three hours and still make it in time for the next flight to Arizona...It would be late when I got there and I'd have to call Alice for her new address...and her mother's seen as she'd probably head there first...I _could_ do this!

I loved her.

I had to...It had taken me nearly seven years to even think it to myself let alone tell someone it.

I got pissed off with traffic while trying to head out of the airport grounds and swiftly hit the gas once the road ahead was clear and I hit the interstate...For the first time in my life it was clear...no more uncertainty...not more maybe's...this was it for me. I'd just been a fool not to see it sooner and save all the heartache that had been caused through my wavering.

The night sky turned grey and dark as I headed back to Port Angeles...a storm was coming. Panic filled me as I thought about her up there with it crashing around her...I remembered her clinging onto me while scared shitless...and I wasn't there to hold her or keep her safe as I promised...But I would be in future.

If she'd let me.

But then what if I am too late and she doesn't want me...I've probably scarred her even more over these past precious weeks...weeks of my life that I would never forget

I had to at least try.

My car came to a skidding halt outside my apartment building as my foot found the brake. It was raining hard again and I could hardly see a foot in front of me as I took the stairs leading up to the entrance. I fumbled with my keys and the lock so much in my haste that I managed to get completely soaked through.

"Come on!" I growled in frustration.

"Edward."

I barely heard the soft sound of my name but it froze me where I stood.

**I know what you'r thinking.....'NOT ANOTHER FUCKING CLIFFY...SHE'S PISSING ME OFF WITH ALL THIS LEAVING US HANGING SHIT!' Am I right? Please don't hate me too much lol**

**So review if you want more...**


	26. Chapter 25

**I can't get over the number of reviews I've received in the last three days...85!!!!!! So the 29 needed to get me to 400 shouldn't be too much of a stretch right? lol. And another two chapter's in one day...**

**Well you all went bat shit crazy for the last chapter so hopefully this one will possibly have you squuueeeeeing a little too. **

**You'll probably be pleased to know that I don't think I'm planning any more cliff hangers...I'm pretty sure the main drama is over...phew**

Edward's POV

I slowly turned towards the voice hoping to fucking Christ that I wasn't imagining it...Because if I was...then my fucking mind was playing cruel tricks on me.

She was drenched by the rain and shivering a little but she still seemed like the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen...even with her hair sticking down her face and mascara runs on her cheeks.

"You kept it...Why?" She yelled to be heard above the rain.

"Bella...I thought...I just watched your plane leave." I closed the distance between us and stood before her looking confused and soaked through just as much as she was. "Kept what?"

Her eyes were blinking furiously as rain ran down her face but she didn't seem to care.

"The bear...From the carnival...You kept it?" A loud roar of thunder raged above her causing her to flinch but she managed to stay firmly in place as she waited for my answer.

"Yes." My voice was shaking as I tried to project it through the pounding sound of the storm.

"Why?"

"Because you gave it to me...on our first date you..." I licked water off of my lips that had cascaded down my face. "I thought you'd gone...I was just too late...I was coming back to grab some shit then..."

Her breathing was laboured as we stood there looking at each other.

"Too late for what?" She asked as she looked up to the heavens as the sky light up around us.

"To tell you...Bella I...I..." I could do this...I screwed my eyes and mustered that little boost of courage to say it. "I love you."

"What?" she gasped as I took another step towards her

"I love you." I did love her and I couldn't believe how easy it was to say finally.

"What?" she was shaking her head like she was struggling to hear the words and let them sink in.

I took the last step needed so I could wrap my arms around her while pressing my head to hers.

"I. LOVE. YOU!" I smiled as her eyes went wide. I raised my own eyes to the heavens and shouted for everyone to hear. "I'M IN LOVE WITH ISABELLA MARIE SWAN!"

"Oh my god...Oh my god! Edward." I think she was crying but with all the cold December rain consuming us it was hard to tell for sure.

I lowered my eyes back to hers and leaned into her ear " I love you." I whispered as she turned her face slowly towards my mouth.

I felt something I had never felt in that moment as our eyes locked...Love...Pure unadulterated love for the woman stood before me looking like a drowned rat with panda eyes.

"Say it again" She breathed as she held my gaze...looking for any sign of indecisiveness.

I nudged her chin with my nose and ran the tip along her jaw, making my way back up to her ear. "I love you."

Bella's POV

This wasn't real...It couldn't be.

"I love you." He smiled again and my broken heart melted.

I had waited for so long for him to say those words and now he was saying them...it was like I was dreaming.

Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me...Maybe I'd been in the cold too long and I was hallucinating.

Then I must have been imagining his lips brushing against mine and sending warmth throughout my frozen body.

I wasn't imagining it...He'd just declared his love to me and now he was kissing me but I could only stand there like a stone sculpture in shock.

His arms dropped and he took a step back.

"I'm too late aren't I...I missed my chance..." His voice broke at his words.

What was he talking about?

"Edward I..."

"It's ok..I knew the chance was slim but I had to try right?" Even in the dark I could see the hurt in his eyes and the red rims edging them.

He continued to step back away from me and my brain finally started to re-function and allowed me to move.

"I'm just gonna go..." He blindly gestured behind him before turning around and running towards the main doors of his building.

"EDWARD ANTHONY CULLEN STOP RIGHT THERE!" I started to run towards him before he'd even turned back around and I threw myself at him...smothering his mouth with mine.

The impact of my body slamming into his had him stumbling backwards but he managed to steady us and I lifted my mouth away from his.

"Oh come on!...You can't just blurt that shit out to me then expect me to let it fly!" I used his own word against him and couldn't stop the huge grin that spread across my face.

Within seconds his features were a mirror of my own and we lost ourselves in the moment and a kiss that was better than any we'd ever shared...It was even better than that first one back when I was seventeen...because this one had followed him saying the words I knew he'd always struggled with...words I never thought I'd hear fall from his lips.

The storm could have disappeared but I had no idea...nor did I care. I didn't care that I was soaked through to my underwear or that I'd probably get a cold from being out here so long. All I cared about was being in this mans arms and knowing he wanted me there.

Our moment ended all too soon though as he started chuckling.

"What?" I pulled back to ask.

"Your nipples are trying to say hello again...I really do love winter." I hit his arm as his chuckle turned into a full blown laughing fit. "Come on...Lets get you inside so they can defrost."

His place was still as it had been the last time I was here...with remnants of our prom still evident.

I sat on his couch while he went and grabbed us a pair of fresh clean and surprisingly warm towels.

"Here let me help you." He smiled as he wrapped it around my shoulders and pulled it up to rub my hair...Then wiping my face. "What?" He asked after a moment of me watching him.

"I'm just waiting to wake up." His hands stilled and he looked almost pained. "What?" It was my turn to ask.

"I...just wish I could have told you sooner...prevented all the hurt and shit...I wish I could have figured all this out when we were together and not screwed you up so much." His dropped his gaze to his lap.

"Thanks!" I joked.

"I didn't mean it like that...You're just...an amazing person with so much love and I broke you...I made you not want to love anyone again. I don't think I can ever forgive myself for that." he looked up at me again with wonder in his eyes.

"Edward...I didn't want to love anyone else because I was in love with you...I _am _in love with you." I poked him playfully and he smiled back. "I wish I could forgive myself for ending things between us before instead of just trying to talk to you and giving us the chance to work things out..giving you time to figure things out." I let out a solitary chuckle and squeezed his hand in mine.

"I think we should both just forgive ourselves then and move forward...No more hiding how we feel. I want this...us." He whispered as he kissed me again.

My entire body thawed out with a brush of his lips.

"Did you really go to the airport to try and stop me?" I curled my legs around and sat on them as I used the other towel to dry his hair off.

"Yeah...I did." He chuckled as I looked at him in amazement. "I thought I'd missed you. I watched the plane leave and everything...I was just coming home to grab some stuff before turning around and heading back to the airport...I was going to fly out to Phoenix later and go find you but I pulled up here and you were..."

"Already here." I grinned.

"When did you change your mind and come back?..And how the hell did you get back so soon?" He asked.

"I just got into the departure lounge and sat looking at the pictures from prom...I saw the bear and my mind went blank...I don't know what I was thinking only that I had to know why you kept it. Before long I was running back through the airport with the intention of jumping in a cab and coming here to find out. I even hurt myself in my rush!" She pouted as she lifted the side of her shirt to expose a fresh triangular bruise.

"Ouch!" I hissed before carefully running my hand over her supple skin...Loving being able to touch her again.

"Yeah I fucking crashed straight into some guy's trolley and wound up in a heap on the floor...The son of a bitch started ranting at me so I flipped him off." She shrugged as my mind went into overdrive.

"That was you!" I asked unable to believe how close we'd been.

"Ye...ah." she sounded confused so I filled her in about how I'd been stood not thirty feet away from her at the time and was locked in battle trying to get through to the departure lounge to declare my love for her.

"We weren't that far behind each other then."

"Wait how did you get back here so fast?" I asked confused as to how we'd missed one another.

"I offered a cab driver three hundred bucks if he would drive me home and speed all the way like it would break his meter...I even told him that if he got stopped I'd pay the ticket. It took just over an hour give or take. I only got here about twenty minutes before you."

"Well that makes us even then." I smirked as she looked bewildered.

"I too crashed into a line of trolleys...And had to spend a hundred and fifty seven dollars just to tell you i love you." We both chuckled at the irony.

"Say it again...please...I just want to hear it one more time." I asked with pleading eyes.

"Isabella...I love you."

My eyes closed as I savoured the moment.

He moved closer and pulled me against him..wrapping his arms around my waist.

"And I plan on telling you that at least once...everyday...For the rest of our lives...If you'll let me." I'd heard enough and stopped his tongue with my own.

"I think we better get you out of those wet clothes before you catch your death." He said as he stood up and held out his hand to me.

I took it without hesitation and followed him to his room.

Edward went to his dresser and pulled out a pair of boxer briefs and his favourite school hockey shirt. He passed them to me and I thanked him before kicking off my shoes.

That's when realisation kicked in as to what I'd done...I'd left my job and given up my apartment to move back to Phoenix...And I hadn't gone...so know I was jobless and homeless to boot.

"You can stay here you know...until you sort out getting your apartment back." He smiled noticing my worried look. He walked over to me and helped me out of my sweater and as the damp fabric lifted from my body it took the white tank top I was wearing underneath with it too...leaving me in just my red balconette bra. "Or..." He paused and pulled me into his arms again. "You could just stay here...permanently."

Had he really just asked me to move in with him?

Shit!

"I guess I might be able to put up with your sorry ass on a more permanent basis...As long as you leave watering the plants to me?" I teased as I shed my underwear and pulled on the shorts and shirt he'd handed me.

"You know you don't have to make it sound like such an unpleasant prospect." He rolled his eyes.

"Does that mean you're going to make it 'pleasent' I licked my lips as his eyes looked me up and down.

"That depends..." He shrugged playfully.

"On...?"

"On...if you introduce me to Officer Swan again...And I'm not talking about your father Bella." He turned me around and pressed himself against my back...His contentment was prominent again and he was just making sure I knew what I did to him.

"I don't know..." I scrunched up my face and closed on eye tight while I pretended to think about it.

"You look _damn_ fine in my clothes Miss Swan." He turned me back to face him and whispered...sending a shiver though me.

I touched my lips to his and smiled into them as he pushed back against mine...Knowing he loved me made it all the more sweeter. My body reacted to our contact instantly but I fought to contained my need for him. I lost the battle though when I felt his lips move around to my ear before making their way to my collar...causing me to whimper and him to become hungry. Even though the force pulling us together was strong and demanding we didn't let it overpower us. Every touch was tender and every kiss was slow and sensual...deliberate.

We didn't rush to get our clothes off or hurry to jump into bed...We took our time and reacquainted ourselves with one another...Just enjoying the feeling of being completely in love.

Edward eventually took my hand and walked us over to the bed that I would be calling my own from now on.

"Let me give you the tour." He smirked as we stopped at it's side. "This is the bed...and that concludes our tour." I laughed as he threw himself on it...taking me with him.

"I love you." He whispered as he pressed his fore head to mine before pushing his length into me.

I didn't think I would ever grow tried of hearing those three little, but powerful, words falling from his lips.

"I love you. I whispered fearing that if I spoke any louder then I wouldn't be able to stop myself from crying at all this.

My eyes rolled as he buried himself in me again and his face pressed into my hair as he set a pace pleasing to both of us. I would watch my tongue tonight and leave my dirty mouth at the door for another night...tonight I was being made love to by the only man to ever hold my heart and that only made it better than ever. He thrust into me repeatedly and rolled us around the bed as we enjoyed the sensations we were experiencing for what felt like the first time.

Feeling the person you love moving within you and knowing they feel the same seemed to heighten everything I felt and It wasn't long before my first orgasm washed through me...leaving me gasping as Edward smiled at his achievement. His grin grew bigger as he took me into another one pretty soon after. By the time my third one started to shake me he was breathing harder and groaning in defeat that he couldn't hold his own release off any longer and I didn't want him to either.

I had been going to leave the swearing by the door but couldn't help myself...so I whispered a string of profanities into his ear and he exploded along with me. We spent most of the night getting lost in each other and Edward continued to profess his love to me at any given opportunity...when I asked him why he just said he had a lot of making up for lost time to do.

I woke up on Christmas morning to the best gift I could ever imagined...Edward Cullen and knowing he loved me like I loved him.

**Well how was the reunion...not too cheesy I hope. I'm worried I might have got it completely wrong and let you guys down after all the build up so let me know if you loved/hated it.**

**Review Review Review.**

**Next chapter is dinner at Alice's...with one extra guest she didn't expect to be seeing any time soon...and yes I do mean Bella lol.**


	27. Chapter 26

**Oh wow I'm so pleased you all liked the reunion :0)**

**And on the review front I was only 4 off of 400 and that's blown my mind something stupid. I never dreamed this story would hit that many. When I started it I didn't expect it to get anywhere near what my other story got but it's completely blown it out of the water!**

**Ok so I finally got myself a beta and she's amazing! She's away yet she's still taken time out and checked this over for me...so HUGE thanks to you ****Nae1007** **and I'm looking forward to working with you :0)**

**Anyway...I think this and the next one that'll probably be an epilogue are all that's left for this story so I'll get right back to it lol.**

Edward's POV

I was reluctant to open my eyes on Christmas morning...fearing that everything I thought had passed the night before would have been a dream and I'd be opening my eyes to some cheesy motel before beginning my search for Bella and starting a long career in begging until she caved and took me as hers.

But the soft touch of her finger lazily following the shape of my brow let me know she was really here.

I opened my eyes finally and was rewarded with the most beautiful smile sat adorning her face.

" Morning." I whispered as loud as I dare so I didn't startle her.

" Morning." She bit her lips and her eyes searched mine for something.

" Merry Christmas." I offered as I pulled her closer to me.

She seemed to find what she was looking for and wished the greeting back upon me before letting out a long exaggerated sigh.

" What are you thinking about?" I asked when her eyes closed in contemplation...I was suddenly worried that maybe this was too much for her and I started to loosen my hold but she gripped me to her and I didn't try to fight against it...I would never fight against my love for her ever again or for as long as she'd have me.

" Just about how things have changed so much in only three weeks...twenty one days ago I hated you and wanted to be as far away from you as possible but now..."

" I know." Was the simple answer I gave her; knowing exactly what she meant.

" I was so sure that I had everything I wanted...I thought my life was so perfect and couldn't get any better...Then you showed back up and turned everything up on it's head like always." She teased as she mock punched my shoulder. "If you hadn't been at Alice's that day then I would have been waking up in Arizona alone right now and not looking forward to going to my mother's for Christmas dinner."

" You know you're kind of making it sound like a bad thing." I knew she didn't mean it like that but this is what we did...we taunted each other and I prayed to whoever was listening that that part of our relationship didn't change. It was what made us good together.

" Shut up!" She complained in a whiny little voice. "You know that's not how I meant it!"

I chuckled at the pout she was sporting and rolled onto my stomach.

" So...You starting to regret coming back yet? You were all set on the path to a new life and now you've kind of...back tracked." I quizzed hoping she didn't regret it.

" I haven't back tracked Edward...I just took a new path...One that I really I hope includes you for a very long time. I can teach anywhere and I'm sure if I talk to the board that the school will take me back on...They're under-staffed as it is. Besides...hearing you say you loved me last night was worth giving it all up for." She kissed the side of my head before sliding out of bed.

" And where exactly do you think you're going?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

" I'm going to use the bathroom...Or do I have to ask permission?"

I watched as she swayed over towards the bathroom door wearing nothing but a blush.

" That depends." My smile grew as she faltered where she stood.

" On..." I'd bite to her coaxing.

" Well you never actually said yes when I suggested for you to move in here permanently...If you don't live here it's only polite to ask first before using someone's facilities."

" You never asked me to move in Edward...You simply stated that I could stay here." She was playing me at my own game and my dick twitched at the beautiful arrogance in her voice.

" Well?" I inquired knowing she'd keep up with the charade.

" Well what?"

I couldn't help myself...I had to touch her so I rose from the bed and paced slowly and deliberately over to where she stood. Once I was within arms reach I encased her in them and pressed my forehead to hers.

" Would you care terribly to unpack all your shit here and call it home." I asked with an eat shit grin...She wasn't going to get the better of me with this.

" Wow you really know how to blow a girl away don't'cha?" She giggled. "So romantic...Mmmm."

I rolled my eyes at her faux attitude.

" I guess it wouldn't be all that bad!" She chuckled as she looked me up and down with a tilted head before licking her lips. "This place definitely has some appeal and perks that could temp a girl like me. Yeah...I think I would like to unpack my shit here."

I growled and grabbed her hips to mine forcefully causing her to squeal. My mouth eagerly took control of hers...but only for a moment before she pulled away.

" Seriously Edward...I have to pee!" She wriggled out of my grasp and ran over to the bathroom peering around the door with a smile while she closed it behind her.

I left her to tend to her needs and pulled on a pair of boxer briefs before walking to the kitchen to prepare some breakfast for us.

I'd already shared my lack of cooking skills with her and was just in the process of burning the fifth pancake I'd tried to make.

" Wow...You didn't have to kill them." I'd not heard her come up behind me and jumped at the sudden interruption.

" I didn't kill them I just tortured them a little." I chuckled as she took the pan from my hand and bumped me out of the way with her hip. "You've not been here a day and you've already booted me out of my kitchen?" I quipped.

" Firstly...Thanks to our activities last night and the fact that I had nothing to eat yesterday I'm starving...secondly...I won't burn the pancakes...and thirdly...I thought it was our place now or were you kidding about me moving in?" Her hand rested on her hip as she lectured me and my mind automatically imagined it was my hand there.

" I want nothing more right now than you living under this roof with me and taunting my ass daily...along with coming out to play in all those hot little fucking outfits of yours. Therefore I was certainly not kidding." I stood behind her with my hands on the same spot I'd just been thinking about and kissed where her neck met her shoulder.

She squirmed a little in my grasp but let me stay there regardless as she cooked an amazing batch of pancakes.

After breakfast we got ourselves ready and headed out to my sister's.

I pressed the buzzer and we waited for the pixie to answer the door

"Bella!" She squealed and pulled her friend into a hug.

Alice abruptly stopped and held her out at arms length.

" Where was my call?" She scolded.

I walked up behind my beautiful woman and wrapped my arms around her. "Sorry Alice that was my fault...I kind of kept her a little busy." I smiled at the shocked look on my sister's face.

" Bella...Can I talk to you?" Her hand gestured for Bella to follow slightly to the side as she moved her head in closer to whisper. "What the hell are you doing girl?"

" Alice...don't! It's not what you think ok." She replied and I had to chuckle at how clear I could hear them.

" How is it not...? You've given up a new life in Phoenix...New Job...Better prospects...a chance to spend more time with your mother...for what? Dangerous sex games with my brother?" I could hear the sour tone in her voice when she brought me into the conversation.

" It's not about games any more Alice...This is different." She smiled as she let her eyes wonder over to me.

" Oh? Really?...You sure? How do you know Bella...? I'd be lying if I said this didn't worry me. You don't always make the smartest decisions where he's concerned." I was going to have to step in. "Why is it so different?"

" Because I love her Alice." The certainty in my voice could be missed by no one. "Come on Bella." I wrapped my arm around her and walked us into the apartment and immediately got assaulted by the most amazing smells that could only be achieved at Christmas.

Alice was still stood staring out into the hall when Jasper appeared into the room.

" Bella? Shouldn't you be in Arizona right now Listening to the new Brady brunch singing Kumbaya or some shit like that?" He asked in confusion.

" Shouldn't that be fucking Jingle bells?" I chuckled as he handed me a beer. "Thanks."

" I changed my mind...I'm staying here instead. I got an offer I couldn't resist." She looked at me and I didn't miss her tongue gingerly swiping over her lower lip.

She was going to start that taunting shit here and it wasn't the best place for me to be sporting a raging hard on...especially when my parents were going to be stopping by real soon.

Jasper's eyebrow shot up at me and and he nodded his head in approval. "About time dude." He held his own bottle of beer up and clinked it against mine.

Alice finally snapped out of her little 'moment' and came to stand by Jasper. "Oh my god Edward just said the 'L' word!"

" What...Lesbian?" He grinned as she pushed him.

" No you fool. He just said that he loves Bella." She rolled her eyes at the lack of understanding from her man. Before grabbing Bella by the hand and trying to pull her away from me.

Fuck that!

" Hey hey hey! Hold up...What are you doing...? You can't take her away from me Alice." I chuckled as I wrapped her tighter in my arms.

" Oh for fuck sake Edward...We're just going to the kitchen." She scoffed as I kissed Bella sweetly on the lips before letting her be dragged away.

" I think I'm really a lesbian." Jasper announced as he automatically went to set up the Wii.

Laughter fell from me as I looked at him incredulously. "What the fuck?"

" No seriously! I think I am...I totally love women!"

" Well then fuck I must be one too!" We chuckled as he threw me a controller and declared it a rematch from the last time I kicked his ass.

Bella's POV

I spent a while hauled up in the kitchen, filling Alice in on what happened the previous day after she'd left me at the airport.

" Oh my god!" She clutched her heart as my words sunk in and even I still stood there in a daze.

" We stood there in the rain and he was shouting that he loved me for everyone to hear Alice...my fucking heart melted. I'd only ever dreamed of him saying all that to me and when he did...I love him Alice."

We were interrupted by the door bell again and the loud seasons greetings being called as Jasper opened the door.

We looked at each other then turned to join in the celebrations. I hung back while I watched Alice and Edward hug their parents fiercely.

" Bella!" Edward's mother, Esme shouted as she noticed me stood there out of the way. "Honey how are you? It's been so long since I saw you last! You look as beautiful as ever sweetie." She rushed over and pulled me into one of her motherly embraces and Carlisle, Edward's father walked over to greet me too.

" Bella...It's wonderful to see you again." He too pulled me into a hug as his wife carried on asking me things.

" I thought Alice had said you were moving back to Phoenix honey? What changed your mind?" She looked at me quizzically as a blush tinted my cheeks.

" Um."

That's when Edward walked over and pulled me close to him. He kissed the side of my neck and chuckled as his mother gasped silently.

" Oh my...Are you too back...?" Her eyes were gleaming and his father smiled widely. As they took in the look of complete love on their sons face.

" Well it's about time." Carlisle added. "I thought you two would never sort your heads out and were going to spend forever miserable without each other."

" Carlisle!" Esme scolded him but he simply shrugged.

" Like you haven't been thinking it, dear." She blushed at his honesty but came back over to hug the both of us.

" It's serious too mom...He even said he loves her!" Alice beamed as her mother gasped again...She obviously understood the importance in that little fact...even if Jasper hadn't.

Her eyes looked a little teary as she went to hug her husband.

" He finally said it!" She whispered in his ear and he held her tighter to him.

They both looked at their son proudly as he stood by me brushing a stray bit of hair behind my ear, before placing a chaste kiss on my waiting lips. I had to remember where we were and who's company we were sharing to stop me from jumping into his arms and wrapping my legs around him, deepening our kiss until we were both breathless. I was a good girl though and accepted his gesture gratefully and enjoying the sense of warmth it brought me.

Dinner was amazing and we all sat around making yummy noises as Alice beamed and drank in every complement given to her.

It didn't take long for the jokes to start getting passed around and everyone to be rolling around in laughter while the drinks flowed freely.

" Ok...Ok...I got one!" Jasper shouted and waved his hands to call every ones attention. "Why are women like hurricanes?"

" You better watch yourself mister!" Alice warned as we all waited for his punch line.

" Because when they come they're wet and wild and when they leave...they take the house and car!" He smirked.

Edward and his father burst into a fresh fit of laughter as us women slapped them and shook our heads.

It was funny though.

" I got one too!" Alice screeched through racket. "What have Christmas tree's and men that have had a vasectomy got in common?" She asked before biting her lip. "The balls that hang on them are only there for decoration."

We all joined in on the giggles and carried on well into the night before Esme begged Edward to play the piano for her.

I watched as his eyes flitted back and forth between me and the big black instrument in the corner...a smile playing on his lip as he clearly enjoyed the memory I knew he was recounting...after all it was one I would never forget too.

Eventually she gave him enough of a spiel about how long she'd spent in labor with him and how painful it was and all the nights he'd kept her up that he caved and seated himself at the piano and started to play.

He played random pieces of his own composure and I couldn't help but sit beside him and watch as his fingers moved swiftly over the keys to create the most beautiful melodies.

She requested after awhile that he play something in keeping with the holidays and "Oh Holy Night" soon filed the room...causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end and tears to roll silently down my cheeks. Edward smiled at me as I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes and let the music move me.

It had been the best Christmas I could ever remember having and I could only hope they would all be so wonderful with Edward Cullen back in my life.

**So this was technically the last chapter with just the epilogue to go.**

**I'd love to know what you guy's have enjoyed the most about it or just how reading it made you feel.**

**So please help me out and review it for me...They're better than Edward playing Oh Holy Night :0)**


	28. Epilogue

**I made it over 400! **

**So I'd just like to thank each and every one of you that have followed this story and added it to their favs/alerts and/or reviewed it for me...You're all amazing! **

**Thank you to Nae 1007 for being an awesome beta for the last 2 chapters and hopefully for my future stories too...Bat's eyelids.**

**So the Epilogue...I'm nervous...**

**Be warned it's a time jump...and please don't hate me for it.**

**I have one last song of choice for this story that I would recommend listening to throughout this chapter and it's called Better, by Boyzone. I've had this song in my mind from the start of the story and now I think it's an appropriate time for it to fit in.**

Bella's POV

"I hate you! Don't come anywhere near me if you want to keep your testicles in tact because I swear to god..." I screeched while he tried to hold my hand. "I can't believe you did this to me!" I grabbed his shirt and pulled him to within an inch of my face.

"Bella..." He started with wide eyes.

"Don't Bella me! Please God...Give me an epidural....PLEASE ARRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!"

My hand uncurled from his shirt as it clutched at my swollen stomach. My mind filled with nothing but trying to get through the pain raging through my body as another contraction assaulted me.

"Mrs Cullen...I'm afraid you're too far gone to be able to have one. Your labour has progressed faster than anticipated and there's no longer enough time to administer one and for it to take effect." The nurse overseeing my care informed me.

"I don't care please...PLEASE it hurts so bad." I choked as tears started to flow over my cheeks.

Edward kissed my fore head and looked at me in concern as the contraction passed.

"Can't you give her anything?" He asked the nurse in angst.

"There isn't anything we can give her now that would be of any help...I'm sorry honey." She looked genuinely apologetic as she left the room.

" I can't have any drugs?" I asked incredulously.

Edward turned towards me and squeezed my hand.

"I don't really hate you." I sobbed because my hormones were all up in the air.

"I'm glad baby because I'd still not be going anywhere...I love you."

We'd been together two years now and he'd kept true to his word and told me every single day that he loved me. We got married just under a year ago and decided not long after that we wanted to start a family...I got pregnant pretty much straight away. I said it was luck and Edward said it was due to his super sperms getting the job done...If I'd known then what I know now though...I would have taken up Alice's offer to have him castrated!

"This isn't how I planned on spending Christmas day." I gripped as another contraction consumed me. "RRRRRRRRRAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH! Oh God I need to push!" My body seemed to act of it's own accord.

"Already?" Edward asked as he hit the call button for the nurse. "Doesn't it usually take hours and hours?"

"Yeah go figure!" I groaned as my body tightened up.

"What is it sweetie?" She asked as I let out a primal scream. "I'll just go get the Doctor...I think were going to have a baby!"

"No shit Sherlock!" I couldn't help the quip and Edward chuckled at the fact I hadn't lost my ability to joke even though I felt like I was being ripped in two.

"Ok let's see what's happening shall we?" Doctor Meyer asked as she gloved up and checked my progress.

She looked at the monitor by my side as she prodded and poked me.

"AWWWW" I screwed my eyes up at the pain and it caused me to jump.

"I know...I know honey...I'm sorry." She apologised for her actions as she looked over to the nurse. "I think we're going to have a baby very soon." She gave me a pointed nodded and a reassuring smile. "You're ten centimetres already so I think we can star pushing with the next contraction."

Edward kissed my head again and squeezed my hand gently to let me know he was there for me.

As the next pain started I pushed with everything I had with my chin tucked into my chest. Everyone telling me to keep it going and counting it out for me; but I tuned them out and listened only to my instincts and Edward's soothing voice.

"That's it baby...You're doing it!" He beamed as I battled to bring our baby into the world.

After a while I registered my doctor telling me to pant and not push but my body had other ideas and I struggled to not listen to it's need to bare down. I managed to blow out in little breaths but the pain increased and I felt like I was burning between my legs.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWW AAAWWWWW AARRGGGHHHHHH!" I screamed. "I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE! I CAN'T! IT'S HURTING TOO MUCH!" Tears streamed from my eyes as I begged for someone to make it stop while I started to give in and admit defeat.

"Bella honey you are doing it! I can see our baby! It's head's right there!" Edward's eyes were filled with worry from seeing me in so much pain...but filled with wonder at the same time as he watched in complete awe.

"That's it Bella sweetie...I know it hurts but that's the hard bit over...Now one more push and you get to meet your baby." The doctor announced as my husband kissed me with tears in his own eyes.

Within seconds the need to push came back and I managed to muster up the energy to finally deliver our child.

"I did it! I panted as beads of sweat trailed down my brow.

"Yeah you did!" Edward choked as his emotions got the better of him.

"Here we go Mommy." The doctor passed the baby into my waiting arms and I was overcome with love for the warm and slippery child.

"Oh my God!" I breathed as a tiny pair of eyes slowly opened and tried to focus on me. "Edward!" I whispered as I wiped tears from my eyes so they wouldn't obstruct the view of this little miracle.

"Hey...Hi." He cooed as he reached out to touch the tiny hand in front of him.

The baby grasped it...leaving Edward stunned.

"So has this little guy got a name yet?" Doctor Meyers asked with a smile on her face.

"It's a boy?" Edward asked in amazement.

I had been too preoccupied with the fact that the pain had subsided to a mere cramping and the beauty of the baby in my arms that I didn't care to know whether it was a boy or a girl.

"We've got a little boy?" He repeated his question while the nurse in the room chuckled at his giddiness.

He ran his hand through his hair and then buried his face into my hair as he broke down even more.

"Dude you came with your own parachute!" Edward chuckled as the placenta was delivered shortly after.

Our son was checked over thoroughly and weighed and measured before being handed back to me.

"Ok we'll just leave the three of you to acquaint yourselves for a while then we'll come back and check on how you're doing."

"Thank you so much." Edward shook the doctor's hands fiercely with a huge grin plastered on his face and shut the door behind them.

"Here Daddy." I gestured for him to take our son and his eyes went wide.

"Bella I..." I didn't give him a chance to talk himself out of it and bundled him into his arms.

My heart melted at the sight of my husband holding my son.

"We really do need to decide on a name for him seen as we didn't really agree on one before." I grinned as I watched him coo and kiss our baby...pouring so much love through his actions.

He was going to be an amazing father.

"We'll steer clear of the obvious and avoid Jesus at all costs." He chided in a voice a few octaves higher than his own before he chuckled. "We could always call him John Jacob." He turned to look at me with a mischievous grin and then turned white when I didn't tell him to fuck off. "Bella I was kidding!"

Now it was my turn to grin again.

"Jay Jay...I like it." I teased.

"Na ah!...No...Not a chance!" He shook his head while pulling his lips into a thin line.

"I do really like Jacob though." I shrugged as I watched my son get a little restless. "I think he's hungry."

Edward passed him back to me and I positioned him at my breast.

"Careful you don't poke his eye out honey." He sniggered as I sucked in a sharp breath at the strange and slightly painful sensation of him latching on.

After a few seconds though it subsided and I felt the long deep pulls that I knew meant we'd got the feeding licked.

Our future suddenly seemed filled with possibilities...hope and love.

"You have never looked more beautiful to me than you do this very minute." His eyes were wet again and his face serious. "Thank you."

"What for?" I asked in confusion as I looked back and forth between the two men in my life.

"For giving me the best Christmas present ever." He smiled and leaned in to kiss me. "And just for the record...I like Jacob too."

**So this is where my heart's telling me to stop and so my story concludes.**

**Thank you so much once again for all your support and encouragement when I felt like giving it up and I love you all for your kind words and reviews you've all left me and I'd really appreciate you taking one last time to leave me a review.**

**Lindsi**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N, **

**sorry to do this to you guys, don't get too exited. The story is still done.**

**BUT I started to replace some of the chapters with some that I'd had beta'd by my friend and ff wifey, Breath of Twilight, but I didn't realise as I was doing it that I mixed up the chapters and lost an important one in the process about why they actually split up. I thought I'd lost the chapter for good because the files were on my old computer, some of you may remember me telling you how it blew up. What I'd forgotten about was that I also post my stories over on LJ, so I hadn't lost it after all!!!! YEY!!!!. So I just sorted that shit out and it is now corrected and the propper chapters in the right places. So if you've read this story in the past 4 months and thought WTF happened for them to split up, well know you can go find out XD of and thank you very much to ImBitten2 for being my 5ooth reviewer.**

**Love you all.**

**And if you're looking for something to read, go check out my new story, Services Rendered. **


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